An air carrier flight crew reported that after pushback; an aircraft taxied past as their wings overlapped which resulted in critical ground conflict.
Synopsis
An air carrier flight crew reported that after pushback; an aircraft taxied past as their wings overlapped which resulted in critical ground conflict.
Narrative
We blocked out at XA33 and received clearance from Ramp to contact Ground for clearance onto A to push back into the Y. I could immediately tell that Ground was busy so getting a word in to request permission onto A took a few mins. We were eventually granted permission to push onto A so I gave the ground crew the go ahead. Once we were clear of the gate area and began to rotate backwards down A I noticed Aircraft Y in the vicinity of A8 taxiing our way. It was moving at a regular pace westbound. At this point we were fully oriented backwards being pushed towards the east line of the Y. While there is some space adjacent to A that our aircraft utilizes for that push; a good portion of our right wing is protruding into Taxiway A (hence the reason for needing a clearance from inbound Ground Control). I assumed at this point that Aircraft Y would slow and allow us the 15-20 seconds it takes the tug to push us back to the Y but they did not slow. Considering the distance that was initially available to see and give way; it was obvious the crew saw us and chose to continue forwards. As the other aircraft moved past us; I could see that a solid portion of their right wing pass directly over top of our right wing. There was no collision and we asked the ground crew to confirm what we witnessed and then to have them perform an up close visual inspection for any potential damages. After confirming there was no contact we continued on with the flight.
Second reporter narrative
Flight XXXX; delayed; blocked out at XA33 at Gate XX in ORD. Given push clearance from ORD Ground to push from the gate into the 'Y;' our ramp crew commenced push. As we were pushing on Taxiway A facing east; we observed Aircraft Y traveling westbound on A in the distance. They were moving a normal taxi speed. The Captain and I pointed the other airplane out to each other and fully expected them to turn off their nose landing light and stop since we were occupying Taxiway A. As Aircraft Y came closer to us; we grew concerned that they would not stop since they did not reduce speed or turn off their landing light. With no space on ORD Ground to query the controller due to a congested frequency; we watched as the plane came closer to us. It became clear that they were not going to slow or stop. By this point we were parallel with the A taxi line and about to be turned into the Y.I watched out my window as their wing passed over ours. While there was vertical clearance between our winglet and theirs; our tug driver estimated 10 feet of their wing overtook ours. There was no mention on Ground of this incident; and Aircraft Y continued taxi after passing us. Our tug driver performed an external inspection of the plane to ensure no damage was present before leaving; and after discussing our options; the Captain and I elected to continue the flight since we saw the wing clear and an inspection revealed no damage. When we queried ATC after ensuring it was safe to continue; they said that the incident was their bad" and Aircraft Y was not instructed to give way to us. However; it is our opinion that regardless of an explicit instruction to give way; Aircraft Y should have deconflicted by waiting a few seconds for us to be pushed fully into the Y and off of Taxiway A/U. Having overlapping wings when taxiing is an unsafe practice at any time; and doing so on a taxiway when moving at taxi speeds presents an unnecessary risk to everybody. With ATC being saturated with other tasks at the time of this incident; responsibility for collision avoidance rested with the planes; and fortunately the wing height of Aircraft Y was sufficient to clear our wing since the crew did not take appropriate action to prevent a collision."
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.