• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Home  >  News • United Airlines  >  United Airlines 787-9 Collides With 757-200 At Newark Airport
NewsUnited Airlines

United Airlines 787-9 Collides With 757-200 At Newark Airport

Matthew Klint Posted onFebruary 3, 2023 16 Comments

A United Airlines Boeing 787 collided with a Boeing 757 at Newark Liberty International Airport, causing what appears to be significant wing damage. No passengers or crewmembers were injured.

United Airlines 787 and 757 Collide At Newark Liberty International Airport

The incident occurred earlier this morning at 8:45 am ET on February 3, 2023 as a Boeing 787-9 (registration number N29981) was being moved via tug to a gate at Newark (EWR). The aircraft had landed from Johannesburg (JNB), operating as UA187, earlier in the morning. Somehow, the Dreamliner clipped the wing of a Boeing 757-200 (registration number N17133), which was parked at the gate.

The collision of the right wing of the 787 with the left wing of 757 caused extensive visual damage to the 757 and may have impacted the 787 as well. No passengers or crew members were injured by the incident and the 787 was empty when hit.

N17133 was headed for Orlando (MCO) on UA2135. A replacement aircraft had to be found, leading to a delay of nearly four hours.

United Airlines has confirmed the incident:

“This morning, the wing of a United plane parked at one door was hit by another United plane, with no passengers on board, while parking at the next door. The passengers of the first plane disembarked normally. We book our customers on rescheduled flights on different planes.”

Pictures posted to Twitter detail the extensive damage:

Two United planes got involved in an avoidable ground incident, one Boeing 757-224 aircraft (N17133) clipped the winglet of a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (N29981) during the push back at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR/KEWR) on 3rd February.

📸 kennykng & Bala.#aircraft pic.twitter.com/fMCogEuqBC

— FL360aero (@fl360aero) February 3, 2023

United Airlines Newark Liberty International Airport New Jersey EWR Flight UA187 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner N29981 Hits Another United Boeing 757 pic.twitter.com/Rof375JzGb

— FSX Aviation (@FSXAviation3) February 3, 2023

CONCLUSION

Currently, there are more questions than answers. What caused this impact? Was the tug driver asleep at the wheel? How significant is the damage? Live And Let’s Fly will be following this incident closely.

This is a breaking news story. We will update this story as more information becomes available.


image: @FSXAviation3 / Twitter

Previous Article Good News: Capital One + AMEX Cardmembers Will Not Lose Virgin Atlantic Lounge Access
Next Article Catfight Over Window Seat Leads To Massive Brawl, With 15 People Thrown Off Flight

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • United Airlines MileagePlus CEO

    United Airlines Names New MileagePlus CEO

    March 25, 2023
  • United Polaris Lounge LAX Review

    Review: United Airlines Polaris Lounge Los Angeles (LAX)

    March 24, 2023
  • United Airlines Adds Château d’Esclans Rosé Wine To Polaris Business Class

    March 23, 2023

16 Comments

  1. Live and Let's Life Reply
    February 3, 2023 at 4:51 pm

    Fast pickup

  2. Jared Houser Reply
    February 3, 2023 at 5:26 pm

    Unless I’m remembering incorrectly, I’m pretty sure this happened a few months back, again with 2 United planes and again at Newark.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      February 3, 2023 at 5:30 pm

      I don’t recall. I do remember the Qatar incident in Chicago.

      • Yes Reply
        February 4, 2023 at 1:20 am

        Jared, yes, last June: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/newark-airport-planes-collide

        Losing wheelchairs, too last week: ‘..United worker then said the police could come and transport her to a hospital until they figured out what to do” https://6abc.com/2-travelers-say-their-wheelchairs-were-lost-on-same-united-airlines/12756070/

    • Gravelly Point Guy Reply
      February 4, 2023 at 2:38 am

      You are absolutely correct Jared, it happened sometime towards the end of last year. Again!! One of them I believe was a 737-800 NG. They better shape up their operations and fast!

  3. Christian Reply
    February 3, 2023 at 11:31 pm

    ‘Tis but a scratch.

  4. Robert Aguilar Reply
    February 4, 2023 at 12:34 am

    The tug driver should have gotten clearance from his wing walkers they have the responsibility for adequate clearance

  5. GUWonder Reply
    February 4, 2023 at 5:24 am

    Do US airlines have a ban on employees possessing cell phones while working on the tarmac? If they do, it would surprise me if it’s widely enforced since I get loads of AirTag updates from areas within UA hub airports where there would be no passengers within Bluetooth range of the trackers.

    Situational awareness levels are not what they used to be, in large part because of the impact of smartphones being ubiquitous and connected as much as they are.

  6. shoeguy Reply
    February 4, 2023 at 7:28 am

    Newark Airport is a challenging place for operations, even on the sunniest of days. The physical space around the terminals is constrained, with taxiways and runway access points that can quickly get backed up. United has to park planes in different places across the airfield during downtime, notably wide bodies between flights, and then move them to the terminal later in the day for departures. It gets complicated during peak operating hours and in peak travel season, and contributes to delays and operational issues at EWR for UA all the time.

    • Gravelly Point Guy Reply
      February 4, 2023 at 7:47 am

      Time to start looking for a secondary hub in the area I guess, with all the new wide bodie deliveries coming in…and whatever happened with the “ leaving JFK is just a temporary move, we’ll be back stronger and larger…blah blah blah” stance?? Any news?

      • shoeguy Reply
        February 4, 2023 at 1:06 pm

        The options are few and far between. LGA isn’t an option. UA doesn’t have the slots (and they don’t really exist right now anyway, though if the DOT ok’s the B6/NK merger, that would only come with some substantial slot divestitures at LGA, and even with, not enough for UA to build up anything significant to compete with DL and AA and B6 there. JFK isn’t an option either. Slots aren’t currently available, and the terminal options for UA aren’t great either. UA needs frequency and its own premium lounge at JFK to be relevant and competitive.

        EWR is a profit machine for UA. Its just a cumbersome, difficult airport to operate at. UA will have no problem maintaining an EWR hub but will optimize some flying between EWR and IAD where it makes sense to, specifically on regional flying, which it has already done.

        • Gravelly Point Guy Reply
          February 4, 2023 at 6:12 pm

          Basically yes, you’re right. Although it seems to me at least that whenever something goes wrong at EWR, United really doesn’t have a plan B option to rely on, which IMO just messes things up. IAD is the not so hidden gem of this story, I hope the expansion and new terminal there picks up some steam!

    • Proschwit Reply
      February 4, 2023 at 10:36 am

      Looking at the pictures it is clear the wing of the 787 is clearly outside of its gate envelope and in inside the envelope of the gate area where the 757 was parked. Clearly the tug driver lost situational awareness and pulled the 787 into the gate on the wrong lead in line. You are correct United Terminal C at EWR can be challenging with multiple lead in lines for a single gate lining up on the wrong lead in line results in wing tips clipping each other. Another thing is with the brutally cold temperatures in New York this morning there may or may not have been wing walkers out there. If there were wing walkers out there the entire crew should be fired because no one was paying attention. If there were no wing walkers present then the tug driver should still be fired because they NEVER should have pulled that 787 into the gate without wing walkers present. I don’t care how cold it is this situation was 100% avoidable if employees would have followed standard operating procedures, instead someone somewhere cut corners in an attempt to get out of the cold which has led to this situation happening again to United at EWR.

      Time for United to make examples out of employees if they continue to make excuses for employees not following SOP incidents like this will continue to happen at EWR where you are working in tight spaces.

      • Yes Reply
        February 4, 2023 at 12:55 pm

        When googling “United planes crash Newark” I couldn’t believe the number of issues at EWR in the past six months alone. So many different issues.

  7. Dave Reply
    February 4, 2023 at 10:07 am

    When the sinilar incident happened with Jetblue at JFK, nobody was blaming Jetblue. So why are we blaming United for this kind of incident?

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      February 4, 2023 at 10:25 am

      I don’t know what you mean. Doesn’t the tug driver work for United?

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Recent Posts

  • Hilton Frankfurt Airport Review
    Review: Hilton Frankfurt Airport March 27, 2023
  • Thai entry requirements
    Thailand Entry Requirements: Updated Website March 26, 2023
  • Tin Building close up
    Review: Tin Building by Jean-Georges (New York City) March 26, 2023
  • Hilton Shreveport bed
    Review: Hilton Shreveport March 26, 2023

Categories

Popular Posts

  • American Airlines unaccompanied Minor Predator
    American Airlines Flight Attendant Freaks Out After Man Offers His First Class Seat To Child February 25, 2023
  • Kayleigh Scott United Airlines
    The Tragic Death Of A United Airlines Flight Attendant March 21, 2023
  • United Airlines Domestic First Class Menu
    United Airlines Refreshes Domestic First Class Menu February 28, 2023
  • Southwest Airlines Wife Slap
    Enraged Husband Attacks Man On Southwest Airlines Flight After He Bumps Wife March 8, 2023

Archives

March 2023
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Feb    

As seen on:

live_and_lets_fly

The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles is the most beautiful of all Polaris Lounges. Stay tuned for a detailed look and many more photos on the blog tomorrow. Well done @united.
@malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire i @malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire its A380 fleet. While not surprising, it is sad to see the growing list of carriers retiring this superjumbo jet. On Malaysia Airlines, I flew the #A380 once from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to London (LHR) and had the entire first class cabin to myself (full review on the blog). It was a beautiful flight that I will always remember.
Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited tha Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited that a new carrier, Avelo, has launched, especially from an airport just 12 minutes from my home!
I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxair I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxairport. Hopefully this summer it will return.

.
.
.
.
#Lufthansa #FirstClass #747 #747-8 #StarAlliance #Miles #Points
I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. This is not only a lovely, all-inclusive resort, but one of the best properties to use your @hyatt World of Hyatt points.
.
.
.
.
#Hyatt #BigSur #California #WorldofHyatt #CA-1 #Points #Hotels
In terms of a spacious first class product, the @E In terms of a spacious first class product, the @Emirates suite on a 777-300ER is hard to beat. My preference is Suite 2K.

.
.
.
.
#Emirates #777 #firstclass
Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from I Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from Instagram ahead of the birth of my first child. Goodness, how time flies. While I’ve enjoyed catching up on others over the years, now it is time for me to return to Instagram. In this first post, I highlight two joys in my life, my two children, whom I trust will grow up to be prolific travelers that circumnavigate the globe as ambassadors of love and respect.

.
.
.
.
.

#travel #airplanes #airlines #miles #points #familytravel #human #integrity #honor
United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improv United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improvement over UA's current business class seat. Check out my blog at liveandletsfly.com for 70+ photos of how @united is transforming its entire business class experience starting this December!
The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben! The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben!
Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen - Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen -- oh, and I love 40°F summer weather!
One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure of flying with in all my years of flying. Thank you @flysas SK940 on 11 Aug 2016
Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I a Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I assign a window seat months in advance, don't move me to a center seat "for my convenience" with no way to get my original seat back... 😞
Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be rac Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be racing the #Delta flight to JFK at the gate next to us, which also departs at 12:45p. With @onemileatatime
Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregenc Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregencycasablanca #cassablanca #hyatt
Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the i Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the inside of the @grandhyatt_shanghai ... It is 40°C outside! 😓
From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minut From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minutes flat. I ❤️ #bur #burbankairport
@malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in se @malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in service at #kul -- beautiful livery!
View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful bran View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful brand new @parkhyattguangzhou -- look for a full review coming soon on the blog #hyatt #parkhyatt #guangzhou #parkhyattguangzhou
Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, which closes tomorrow and the Queen of the Skies #747 which will be retired in 2018.
The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. If you're ever here, get up at 5am and have a walk around the city before it gets busy. You can hear the birds instead of honking horns.
Load More... Follow on Instagram
facebook twitter instagram rss

This site is for entertainment purposes only. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances.

 

Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. Outside of banner ads published through the Boarding Area network, this compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site. While we do try to list all the best miles and points deals, the site does not include all card companies or credit card offers available in the marketplace. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners.

 

Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.