4 Planes collide in 2 crashes at the same airport on the same day

Last Monday Logan Airport (BOS/KBOS) in Boston was the site of two separate tarmac collisions involving four airplanes.

The first incident occurred when an American Airlines aircraft, while taxiing to its gate, clipped the wing of a nearby parked Frontier Airlines plane. American Airlines flight AA109, a Boeing 777-223ER, was pulling into the gate at Boston-Logan International Airport, after arriving from London (LHR/EGGR) when the right-hand wing struck the left-hand winglet a parked Frontier Airlines Airbus A321-271NX. The A321neo was preparing for departure as Flight 3601 heading to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW/KDFW).

"It was terrible and very scary. Suddenly, there was a 'thump'—it sounded like something had fallen from below," Frontier passenger Evelyn Pipione told the media. Douglas Garcia captured video footage showing the wing of the smaller Frontier plane, which was set to depart for Dallas, wedged beneath the wing of the larger American plane coming in from London's Heathrow Airport.

"You can see the wing is actually broken at the bottom. The bigger plane's wing is over it, and ours is cracked at the bottom," Garcia explained to reporters. Both planes' passengers and crew were evacuated for inspections, with no injuries reported from the initial incident.

Then later in the day, a JetBlue aircraft being towed struck a Cape Airplane that had just arrived from Nantucket and was waiting for the gate to open, according to airport officials. The Cape Air aircraft had two pilots and three passengers on board, while the JetBlue aircraft was empty. Although no injuries were reported from the second collision, the two pilots were taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure. The Cape Air aircraft was a Tecnam P2012 Traveller.

Stowaway found on Delta flight

DELTA AIRLINES BOEING 737-832 N374DA (MSN 29622)

On the 26th of November a stowaway was discovered aboard Delta Air Lines flight DL264 from New York (JFK/KJFK) to Paris (CDG/LFPG). The stowaway was identified while the plane was en route to Paris. Flight attendants became suspicious of the woman who was frequently moving between lavatories and staying inside for long periods, especially since the flight was fully booked and there were no spare seats. 

After being alerted by the attendants, the pilots notified the authorities, and the woman was detained by police upon arrival in Paris. The TSA reported that the stowaway managed to pass through airport screening, evade two identity checks, and board the plane without a boarding pass. The incident is currently under investigation.

Delta is working with law enforcement and conducting an investigation of its own, the airline said.

“Nothing is of greater importance than matters of safety and security,” a Delta spokesperson said in a statement. “That’s why Delta is conducting an exhaustive investigation of what may have occurred and will work collaboratively with other aviation stakeholders and law enforcement to that end.”

The stowaway is a woman between 55 and 60 years old and has a Russian passport, according to an airport official in Paris. She will soon be sent back to the United States, the official said.

The woman was in a waiting zone at Charles de Gaulle airport - known as ZAPI - for people awaiting deportation, as she does not meet the conditions for entering Europe. The woman applied for asylum in France a few years ago, the official said.

When the woman is sent back to the US, the TSA could issue a civil penalty and New York authorities could arrest her, although they are not currently involved, a federal official familiar with the investigation told the media. The TSA is conducting its own investigation of the incident, the official noted.

New York City real estate broker Rob Jackson was on the Delta flight when the stowaway was discovered and told waiting reporters that passengers were told to stay seated after landing so police could board the plane.