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Expert analyzes scare at Newark after air traffic control loses radar tracking and communication with flight

Former commercial pilot Mike Coffield joins ‘America Reports’ to break down the recent incident at Newark Liberty International Airport, where air traffic controllers temporarily lost contact with a flight.

The right wingtip of a United Airlines plane departing a gate collided with the left wingtip of another United plane in San Francisco early on Tuesday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

“While United Airlines Flight 863 was pushing back from the gate at San Francisco International Airport, its right wingtip struck the left wingtip of United Airlines Flight 877,” the FAA told Fox News Digital.

“This occurred in an area where air traffic controllers do not communicate with flight crews. Flight 863 was headed to Sydney, Australia, and Flight 877 was headed to Hong Kong, China. The FAA will investigate the incident, which occurred around 12:35 a.m. local time on Tuesday, May 6.”

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A Boeing 777-224(ER from United Airlines preparing for take off on the Barcelona airport runway in Barcelona, Spain, on March 12, 2025. (Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

United Airlines noted in a statement that no one was injured in the incident.

“A United aircraft made contact with the wing of another United aircraft while pushing back from a gate at San Francisco International Airport. No injuries occurred and passengers on both planes deplaned normally. We are working with our customers to rebook them on other flights,” the airline noted in a statement that it provided to Fox News Digital.

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The planes were both Boeing 777 aircraft.

Last month, several members of Congress were aboard a plane that was struck by another aircraft.

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“Serving in Congress has come with some once in a lifetime experiences… like just now while stationary on the runway at DCA, another plane just bumped into our wing. Heading back to the gate, but thankfully everyone is ok! (And @RepGraceMeng is handing out grapes!),” Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., said in a post on X at the time.

“The wingtip of American Airlines Flight 5490 struck American Airlines Flight 4522 on a taxiway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport around 12:45 p.m. local time on Thursday, April 10,” the FAA noted.

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.