A JetBlue flight from New York to Puerto Rico collided with another plane in the gate area on Wednesday, the second time in a few days that two planes have witnessed an unusual incident at JFK Airport.
Flight 1603 “made light contact with a parked unmanned aircraft during pushback,” a JetBlue spokesman said in a statement. The plane returned to the gate; no injuries were reported.
The FAA confirmed that the JetBlue plane struck the tail of another JetBlue plane, both Airbus A320s. The agency said it would investigate the incident and the airline said both planes would be taken out of service.
“JetBlue Flight 1603 struck the tail of a parked JetBlue aircraft while backing away from the gate at around 7 a.m. at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. The flight departed for Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Both aircraft were Airbus 320s. No injuries were reported and the FAA will investigate,” the FAA said in a statement.
Wednesday’s incident follows a close call at JFK last Friday when two planes nearly collided.
In this case, a Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 stalled when an American Airlines plane crossed the runway. The FAA responded by saying the planes passed within about 1,000 feet of each other.
The NTSB is also investigating this incident.
The NTSB is investigating the Jan. 13 runway robbery at JFK Airport involving an American Airlines Boeing 777 and a Delta Boeing 737.
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) January 15, 2023