Incident Details
On the day of the incident, a United Express commuter aircraft, an Embraer, was operating a scheduled flight from a portion of a United Airlines maintenance ramp used as a commuter terminal. After loading passengers, the aircraft began taxiing toward a taxiway that leads to the assigned departure runway. Rather than following the established yellow guidance line marking a taxi lane through the maintenance area—which was designed to provide clearance from all parked aircraft—the captain elected to take a direct route across a non-movement aircraft parking area. The captain later stated that this decision was made to avoid a possible departure delay.
During this taxi route, there was insufficient clearance for the Embraer. As a result, the vertical stabilizer of the Embraer struck the horizontal stabilizer of a parked Boeing 767-222. The collision occurred on the ramp.
Aircraft Information
The involved aircraft were a United Express Embraer (exact model not specified) and a Boeing 767-222, which was parked in the maintenance area at the time. The Boeing 767 was stationary and unoccupied.
Investigation
The investigation focused on the circumstances leading to the collision. The captain's decision to deviate from the designated taxi lane was noted. The yellow guidance line on the maintenance ramp had been established by United Airlines to ensure safe separation from parked aircraft. The exact cause of the collision was attributed to the captain's choice to take an alternative route with insufficient clearance, as stated by the captain.