Two United Airlines aircraft made contact on the ground at San Francisco International Airport on the evening of September 1, 2025, prompting an FAA investigation.
The incident occurred when Flight UA1871 to Denver, while pushing back from the gate, struck the tail of Flight UA796 to Boston, which was parked at the time. The collision happened at around 21:10 local time in an area not monitored by air traffic controllers.
Passengers on Flight UA1871 deplaned safely and were rebooked on another aircraft (Boeing 737-900 registered N62883), which arrived at the destination with a delay of 4 and a half hours. No injuries were reported among passengers or crew. Local reports indicated at least one plane sustained wing damage (as shown on the attached picture), though neither United nor the FAA confirmed the extent.
The FAA said the investigation into the cause of the collision is ongoing.
Last night a collision at San Francisco United Airlines between two 737 aircraft. Failure of tow bar of a tug is rumored to blame. UA796 SFO – BOS hit by UA 1871, SFO-DEN. UA796 was boarding passengers at the gate , the tug broke away on UA1871 and the aircraft rolled back pic.twitter.com/6lChyioV8m
— Airline Secrets Exposed (@Airline_Secret) September 2, 2025