Two Southwest Airlines planes clip wings at BWI, prompting FAA investigation

Two Southwest Airlines aircraft sustained minor wingtip damage after colliding during pushback at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport late Monday, triggering a federal investigation and raising fresh questions about ground safety procedures at one of the region’s busiest airports.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the contact occurred on the airport ramp at approximately 10:30 p.m. on Monday. Southwest flights 1048, bound for Connecticut, and 562, bound for Houston, backed into each other while leaving their gates, causing minor damage to the wingtips. No injuries were reported among passengers or crew. 

Kevin White, a passenger aboard flight 1048 who was heading home to Connecticut, captured video of the aftermath and described the impact as feeling “almost like if you got rear-ended at a slow speed.” He and his wife had noticed how close the planes’ wings were after sitting down but thought nothing of it — until the planes made contact.

Both aircraft had received movement clearances and taxi instructions, though the FAA noted the pushback area itself falls outside direct air traffic control communication — meaning coordination during the actual pushback depended on airline ramp personnel rather than the tower. LiveATC recordings show both pilots communicated with ground control that they had traffic around them before the wings clipped. After the collision, the pilot of flight 1048 radioed ground control to report the contact and requested clearance to taxi back to gate A7. 

Commercial airline pilot Bill Pearce told CBS News Baltimore that simultaneous pushbacks from adjacent gates are not unusual and are conducted with ground control’s approval.

“I think it boils down to just communication within the ramp crew about who’s pushing where,” Mr. Pearce said. 

Southwest said in a statement that safety is the airline’s top priority for both passengers and employees. Both aircraft were immediately removed from service, and an internal review is underway. The airline is also cooperating with the FAA’s investigation. 

Aviation experts say investigators will likely examine gate spacing, pushback coordination, and ramp communication procedures — though the FAA has confirmed only that an investigation is underway and has not publicly specified its focus areas.

The incident arrives amid broader scrutiny of aviation safety nationwide. Though the collision occurred in a non-controlled ramp area where FAA tower staffing was not a direct factor, the nation’s aviation system has faced sustained pressure from a longstanding controller shortage. A 2023 report from the Department of Transportation’s inspector general found that 77% of key air traffic control facilities did not meet the FAA’s staffing benchmarks, and the agency has said it expects to hire at least 8,900 new controllers through 2028.