‘Somebody hit us’: Audio captures the moment two planes collided at Miami airport

The collision between two jets on the tarmac at Miami International Airport (MIA) could have been a fatal accident, but a major tragedy was averted, even as two people were injured. The US authorities have now launched an investigation to find what led to the collision between a UPS cargo aircraft and a Copa Airlines passenger jet.

As a probe continues, an audio has gone viral on social media that captured the conversation between the pilot of the Copa Airlines jet and the air traffic controllers. As per the audio, the crew of the UPS cargo aircraft were instructed by the air traffic controllers to give way to the arriving Copa Airlines jet before the collision took place.

“Somebody hit us,” the Copa Airlines pilot said in the viral audio. After this, the air traffic controllers asked the UPS cargo aircraft’s if their jet had hit the passenger jet. 

“Yeah, we went too far, and then he clipped us with the wing,” the UPS cargo pilot replied. Subsequently, the Copa Airlines pilot said: “It seems that we are missing the left wingtip.”

Probe on; Copa Airlines, UPS cargo assure cooperation

With the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launching a probe over the incident that happened around 9.15 pm local time on Saturday, the Copa Airlines and the UPS cargo have assured authorities that they would cooperate in the probe. The Copa Airlines has also apologised to the passengers, emphasising that their safety remains the top priority of the airlines. 

The Boeing 737 aircraft of the Copa Airlines was carrying 172 people, comprising all the 166 passengers and the six crew members, when the collision happened. 

“The aircraft is at the terminal and all passengers have disembarked. Two of them received attention from airport paramedics for what, preliminarily, appear to be minor injuries,” the Copa Airlines, which is headquartered in Panama City, said in an official statement.

“We regret the inconvenience and concern this situation may have caused. We reiterate that the safety of passengers and crews is our priority. We will cooperate with the authorities in this investigation,” it added.

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