2 Southwest Planes Collided on Runway at Nashville Airport

Over the weekend, two Southwest flights collided on the tarmac at the Nashville International Airport while backing out of their respective gates. 

According to a statement released by Southwest spokeswoman Michelle Agnew, on Saturday a St. Louis-bound flight 1555 “came into contact” with an aircraft en route to Atlanta, Southwest Flight 4580. Per a photo posted by one of the Atlanta passengers, the two planes were navigating rainy whether when the flight headed to Michigan had the “S” of “Southwest” knocked off of its winglet. 

Following the collision, both planes returned to their gates “under their own power” and were taken out of service for evaluation. Both flights were rescheduled for departure using new aircrafts and no injuries were reported. 

Last year, the engine of a Dallas-bound Southwest flight exploded shortly after taking off in New York. One of the jet engines forcibly depressurized after a piece of engine shrapnel flew off and broke a window. A woman was nearly sucked out of the aircraft when fellow passengers pulled her back in. The plane made an emergency landing in Philadelphia, however the woman died shortly thereafter.