Flight from Panama City lands in Miami with 166 passengers. Then a UPS plane allegedly fails to give way and clips them: ‘Somebody hit us’

A Copa Airlines flight carrying 166 passengers and six crew members had just touched down in Miami from Panama City when it made contact with a UPS plane on the ground Saturday night, according to The Daily Mail. Both aircraft were taxiing when the collision happened at the intersection of two taxiways at Miami International Airport.

Published air traffic control audio captured the moment a pilot reported the contact. The pilot said, “Somebody hit us.” Controllers then told the UPS flight, “UPS 358, you’re supposed to give way to the 73 there.”

The exchange continued with some portions that were difficult to make out. The controller followed up by asking, “UPS 358 did you hit that aircraft?” The pilot replied, “Yeah we went too far and he clipped us with his wing.”

Airlines and emergency responders describe limited injuries after the contact

Fox Sports journalist Andy Slater, who shared details of the incident on X, said the nose of one plane collided with the wing tip of the other. He added that two people on the Copa flight had already complained of back pain. A fire department source told Slater the incident was minor.

Officials told the Daily Mail that two people received treatment on the scene for minor injuries and that the collision did not disrupt airport operations.

An airport spokesperson said 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.” The spokesperson noted that flights were being sent to other taxiways so operations continued without impact. A later update confirmed the two people were treated at the scene and did not need to be taken for further medical care.

Copa Airlines reported, “The aircraft is now at the terminal, and all passengers have deplaned. Airport paramedics evaluated two passengers for apparent minor injuries. All other passengers and all six crew members are reported to be in good condition.” Similar mishaps have happened before, such as when a landing flight’s wing clipped a structure.

UPS issued its own statement: “We are aware of an incident involving one of our aircraft on the ground in Miami. Our crew is safe, and we are committed to working with authorities to determine what happened.”

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said it responded at 9:07 p.m. to reports of a minor collision involving two aircraft. Firefighters assessed two patients on scene, and no one was transported. Another ground scare unfolded when Frontier Flight 4345 passengers feared a crash before the plane ever left the ground.

The taxiway contact came a day after a nationwide ground stop on Friday that stranded travelers across the country. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the earlier issue began when a contractor was switching lines from old copper wire to fiber at a remote Federal Aviation Administration location, which flooded other routers and disrupted radar feeds. He stated that officials do not believe the outage was caused by a cyberattack.