Two Southwest Airlines Boeing 737s collided wingtip-to-wingtip during a simultaneous pushback at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Monday night, prompting an immediate Federal Aviation Administration investigation and the removal of both jets from service. The contact occurred at approximately 10:30 p.m. local time on the airport ramp, in an area where direct air traffic control communication is limited and pushback coordination is handled by airline ramp personnel rather than the tower.
The aircraft involved were operating as Southwest Flight 1048 to Hartford and Flight 562 to Houston, both pushing back from adjacent gates when their wingtips made contact. No injuries were reported among passengers or crew, and Southwest Airlines confirmed that both planes were taken out of service for inspection and repair. Passengers from each flight were rebooked onto substitute aircraft after a multi-hour delay.
According to the FAA, both crews had received movement clearances and taxi instructions from ground control before pushback. However, the actual physical pushback area at BWI is not under direct tower observation, and simultaneous departures from adjacent gates rely on coordination between the two carriers' ground teams. A commercial pilot interviewed by U.S. broadcasters noted that simultaneous pushbacks are not unusual and are routinely conducted with ground control approval.
The incident is the latest in a string of high-profile ramp and taxiway events at U.S. airports this year, and it lands at a politically sensitive moment for the FAA, which is preparing to testify before the U.S. Senate later this month on a sweeping package of post-DCA crash safety changes. Investigators will examine ramp marshalling procedures, gate clearance distances at BWI, and whether existing ground movement protocols are still adequate at higher-frequency low-cost carrier operations.
Southwest said an internal review is already underway in parallel with the FAA probe. Both 737s are expected to require new wingtip and lighting components before being returned to revenue service, and the airline did not immediately disclose how long the inspections will take. The investigation outcome could prompt revised pushback timing rules at BWI and potentially at other Southwest hubs where simultaneous adjacent-gate departures are common.
Compiled from publicly available aviation news sources. Featured image: AI-generated by AviationShop. This article is original editorial content; facts have been verified across multiple public sources.
Comments
Loading commentsβ¦