2 Southwest Airlines Planes Bump at Sea-Tac; No Injuries

A Southwest Airlines jet struck another of the carrier's aircraft at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport early Monday morning as they were being prepared to be towed to the gates to pick up passengers and crew.

Nobody was hurt in the slow-moving crash, said Perry Cooper, airport spokesman.

Cooper likened the 6:30 a.m. mishap to "taking the emergency brake off your car and slowly bumping into the car parked in front of you."

The incident occurred in a cargo area where planes are parked overnight.

The planes were being prepared to be towed to the gates for flights when one aircraft rolled into the plane in front of it. The nose and fuselage of one plane struck the end of the wing of the second aircraft, Cooper said.

"This doesn't happen very often," Cooper emphasized. "All of the airlines are very safe about moving them around."

The two planes were separated but they remain parked in the cargo area so Southwest personnel can investigate, Cooper said.

Cooper warned that by taking two planes out of Southwest's rotation, there will likely be delays for passengers on the airline's other flights.

Emily Samuels, spokeswoman for Southwest Airlines, said in an email that "aircraft maintenance personnel are working to thoroughly examine both aircraft to determine any necessary repairs to be performed prior to returning the aircraft to scheduled service."

Samuels said Southwest employees at Sea-Tac are working with customers whose flights were disrupted by the mishap. Southwest did not say when the planes are expected to be placed back into service.