Pilot Admits Going 'Too Far' After UPS Boeing 767 and Copa Airlines Jet Collide on Miami Airport Taxiway

Miami: Two commercial aircraft, a UPS cargo plane and a Copa Airlines passenger jet, collided on a taxiway at Miami International Airport (MIA) on Saturday night, leaving visible structural damage and prompting a federal investigation. The incident occurred at approximately 9:15 p.m. local time at the intersection of two taxiways.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Copa Airlines Flight 427, a Boeing 737 carrying 166 passengers and six crew members, had just arrived from Panama City, Panama, and was taxiing toward its terminal gate. Simultaneously, UPS Flight 358, a Boeing 767 cargo aircraft, was preparing for departure to Bogotá. Colombia.

Preliminary FAA findings indicate that air traffic controllers had instructed the UPS crew to hold short and give way to the arriving Copa Airlines flight. However, the UPS jet moved beyond its designated stopping point, causing the wingtip of the Copa Airlines Boeing 737 to strike the nose of the UPS Boeing 767.

Air traffic control audio recordings captured the immediate aftermath of the collision. A pilot aboard the Copa Airlines flight was heard alerting the tower, saying, "Somebody hit us". When controllers asked the UPS crew if they had made contact with the passenger jet, the UPS pilot candidly acknowledged the mistake, responding, "Yeah, we went too far, and he clipped us with his wing."

Footage and photographs taken by passengers and shared widely on social media showed significant damage to the nose cone of the aircraft following the impact.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded swiftly to the scene. According to MIA Communications Director Greg Chin, two individuals were treated at the scene for minor injuries, though neither required hospitalisation. All 166 passengers and six crew members aboard the Copa Airlines jet safely disembarked without further incident.

Airport officials noted that flights were quickly rerouted to alternate taxiways, preventing broader disruptions to airport operations. The collision comes at the tail end of a turbulent weekend for U.S. aviation, as airlines continue recovering from Friday’s rare, four-hour nationwide FAA ground stop. The FAA has launched a formal investigation into the taxiway incursion.

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