Allegiant flight 1687 bound for Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport, pushed back from the gate at Punta Gorda Airport, the plane’s wingtip struck the auxiliary power unit on the wing of an empty plane parked nearby.
The flight was supposed to leave at 6 a.m., but now it is canceled and passengers on board are stuck figuring out another way to get home.
A person on the plane said he felt a big thump, and then the pilot told them their wing had collided with another plane.
“There was a big bump. And I thought we were running over, you know, an uneven pavement on the runway, nothing major. And then the pilot came on and said that this is a once in a career experience. I need to let you know, we have collided with another plane,” said Scott Miller.
Miller came to Punta Gorda to visit his parents for the holidays. He was heading back to Springfield, Illinois when this happened.
“I was just so happy to be able to get on a flight to go home. There have been so many cancellations lately due to staffing shortages due to COVID and the lack of workforce that I was just happy to be on a plane to get home, and then two planes collide,” said Miller.
According to Allegiant, the wing clipped the auxiliary power unit of the second plane.
WINK News saw firefighters remove the wing tip from the plane on the scene.
Both flights have been grounded until further notice. Passengers on them had to rebook their flights.
Port Authority said a few cancellations to and from Niagara falls, Cleveland and Kansas City also happened as a result.
“The line was so long that I wasn’t even going to deal with it. Because I knew the longer you wait, the farther out you’re going to get booked. So I just purchased the one on my phone, and they ended up reimbursing me for today’s flight. Nobody was really upset, at least not verbally that I saw. We just knew this was 2021 in its finest.”
The FAA is now investigating the incident.
Passengers on Miller’s plane got a $150 credit for the flight and an additional $250 check for the inconvenience.
Miller said the most inconvenient part is that flights to Springfield only happen Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, so he is stuck here for another two days.
These budget airlines which typically operate a only few days a week, out of the smaller airports, always seem like a bargain right up until they cancel a flight, then you're stuck. They don't care about customer service. If they did, they wouldn't frequently take two hours to get you your luggage.
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