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Pilot's chilling words captured after UPS cargo plane crashes into passenger jet at Miami airport
The chilling words of a UPS pilot were captured on audio after their aircraft struck a Copa Airlines passenger jet.
The dramatic air traffic control audio has captured the moment two aircraft collided on the ground at Miami International Airport, with one pilot heard telling controllers: "Somebody just hit us.”
Audio captures chilling words from pilot after crash
It transpires that a UPS cargo plane struck a Copa Airlines aircraft while both of the aircraft were taxiing at the airport on Saturday night, leaving two people with minor injuries, after the wingtip of a Copa Airlines Boeing 737 clipped the nose of a UPS Boeing 767 at the intersection of two taxiways.
The Copa Airlines flight, which had arrived from Panama City, was making its way towards the terminal, while the UPS aircraft was preparing to depart for Bogotá, Colombia, with audio from air traffic control capturing the immediate aftermath of the collision, with a pilot aboard the Copa Airlines aircraft heard reporting: "Somebody just hit us."
An air traffic controller subsequently contacted the UPS crew, asking: "UPS 358, did you hit that aircraft?"
The cargo plane's pilot appeared to acknowledge the crash, responding: "Yeah, we went too far and he clipped us with his wing."
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), air traffic controllers had instructed the UPS crew to give way to the arriving Copa Airlines aircraft as it traveled towards its gate.
The agency confirmed that it is investigating the collision, with Greg Chin, communications director for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, claiming in a statement: "At approximately 9:15 p.m., an arriving aircraft and a departing aircraft made contact with each other at the intersection of two taxiways."
He added: "Flights are being directed to other taxiways, so there is no impact to airport operations at this time.
"Two patients were treated on the scene by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue for minor injuries and did not require medical transport.”
The commercial air carrier confirmed that its Flight CM427 was carrying 166 passengers and six crew members when the collision occurred, with the airline revealing that the left wingtip of its Boeing 737 was involved in the incident.
Two people received medical attention for apparent minor injuries, although neither required further transportation to hospital; UPS Airlines also acknowledged the collision in a statement shared on X.
"We are aware of an incident involving one of our aircraft on the ground in Miami," the company said.
"Our crew is safe, and we are committed to working with authorities to determine what happened. The safety of our employees and the public is our highest priority."
Comes just days after FAA ground stop
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The incident comes after the Federal Aviation Administration imposed a nationwide ground halt on Friday, following reported radar and communications technical faults, leaving thousands of travelers stranded across the country and hundreds of flights either delayed or cancelled.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that the disruption could take time to fully resolve as airlines worked to reposition aircraft and crews.
However, Duffy said on Saturday that air traffic control communications had returned to full operation, while FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford indicated that airlines expected to restore their normal schedules by the end of Sunday.
The FAA has previously pointed to a potentially faulty contractor job or an outdated router as possible explanations for the widespread technical problems, despite it remaining unclear whether the Miami airport collision was connected to the disruption caused by Friday's ground stop.