In a shocking runway incident at Congonhas Airport in São Paulo, Brazil, a Gol Boeing 737 8 MAX was left with a gaping hole after a collision with a Latam Airbus A319. The alarming footage of the aftermath shows significant damage to the Boeing aircraft, with the tail cone torn and a hole in the lower fuselage.
Collision details
The incident occurred on July 29 at around 5 pm when the Gol aircraft was preparing for takeoff. Moments earlier, the Latam Airbus A319 had landed and was taxiing to the airport’s parking gate. The tip of the Latam plane’s left wing struck the tail cone of the Boeing plane, leading to severe damage.
Passenger safety and response
Both planes were packed with passengers at the time of the collision. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, and passengers disembarked safely. Gol immediately rerouted passengers from the Boeing 737 flight, who were en route to Florianópolis, to another aircraft. Meanwhile, Latam canceled two flights: one from São Paulo Congonhas to Curitiba and another returning to Congonhas.
Latam stated that it offered assistance to the affected passengers and relocated them to other flights. “LATAM has already accommodated on other flights all passengers impacted on Monday (29/7) by the cancellations of their original flights in Congonhas, following the incident on the ground with another company’s aircraft,” Latam said in a statement, according to Aeroflap. “The LATAM aircraft involved in the incident remains under maintenance and the company is investigating what happened to continue adopting all technical and operational measures for a safe trip for everyone.”
Aircraft maintenance and investigation
Both Boeing and Latam have confirmed that the planes involved in the collision have been sent for maintenance. The Latam aircraft sustained minor damage to its wing and moderate damage to its tail.
Previous Boeing incident
This collision comes just weeks after another alarming incident involving a Boeing aircraft. A packed Boeing jet experienced a terrifying take-off when its tail scraped the runway. The plane, also heading to São Paulo, grated along the runway for ten seconds, shedding debris and emitting thick plumes of grey smoke as it circled Milan Malpensa Airport. Italian authorities are collaborating with Brazilian and U.S. officials to investigate the incident. The recent incidents underscore the critical importance of runway safety and the need for rigorous investigations to prevent future occurrences.
