Two 
United Airlines Boeing 737s had struck their wingtips during pushback on the evening of Tuesday, November 18. As reported by FOX8, the incident occurred at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport where both aircraft (two Boeing 737-900ERs) collided. The impact tore off the tip of the winglet on one of the 737s, with the other 737 likely also suffering damage to the winglet.
One of the 737s was headed to Cleveland, while the other was set to go to Orlando. The incident resulted in both flights being delayed, as the aircraft were returned to their gates and deplaned. The passengers were boarded onto replacements, and the involved airliners were sent into maintenance. One of the planes had since returned to service, while the other remains on the ground.
A Ground Collision At Houston
United Airlines flight UA544 is a daily flight from Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The flight was scheduled to depart at 6:25 pm for an arrival at 10:10 pm. It was being operated by N69806, a 12-year-old Boeing 737-900ER with a total passenger capacity of 179 passengers, split between 20 in first class and 159 in economy.
United Airlines flight UA2451 is a daily flight from Newark Liberty International Airport to 
Orlando International Airport with a stopover in Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The flight from Houston to Orlando was set to depart at 6:33 pm for a scheduled arrival at 9:58 pm, and this segment was being operated by N68843, a 10-year-old Boeing 737-900ER.
The two aircraft were pushing back onto parallel taxiways, with UA2451 being pushed straight rearwards while the pushback crew of UA544 had to turn the aircraft onto the taxiways. It would appear that the mistake occurred during the turn of UA544. The right winglet of UA2451 ended up striking the left winglet of UA544 from the front, tearing off the tip of the winglet. Simple Flying has reached out to United Airlines for more information, but a representative was not immediately available for comment.
The Aftermath Of The Ground Collision
A passenger onboard UA544 had brought up the damaged winglet to the cabin crew. However, this was likely first noticed by the ground crews, who then notified the pilots of the damage. The aircraft were pulled back into the gates before the passengers deplaned both aircraft.
United Airlines sourced two available Boeing 737-900ERs for both flights: N78438 for UA544 and N38459 for UA2451, according to Flightradar24. UA544 ended up departing Houston at 9:27 pm and arrived in Cleveland at 12:46 am, a delay of over two and a half hours. UA2451 departed Houston at 9:21 pm and ended up arriving in Orlando at 12:04 am, an over two-hour delay.
Both aircraft were soon towed to United’s maintenance hangars for inspections and repairs. Despite N69806 receiving the more visible damage, the aircraft has since been repaired and reentered service on November 21. N68843 remains on the ground with no future scheduled flights, as per Flightradar24. It’s unclear if this is due to the aircraft having sustained more extensive damage or if this is a result of limited maintenance capacity.
American Airlines Boeing 737-800 Hits United Airlines 787-10 Dreamliner In Chicago
The incident took place a little before 10:00 in the morning.
Awareness On The Airport Apron
This incident occurred during pushback, when the engines were off and ground crews were responsible for maneuvering the aircraft safely. While no one was injured, the collision caused two Boeing 737s to be taken out of service for expensive repairs, while also delaying up to 358 passengers, who needed to be reaccommodated and possibly compensated.
This incident continues a concerning trend of ground collisions at US airports. In October 2025, a United Boeing 737-700 struck the tail of a parked Boeing 767-300ER while taxiing to its gate in Chicago. Earlier the same month, two Delta Connection CRJ-900s collided at LaGuardia, injuring a flight attendant. In September 2025, a United Airlines 737 struck the tail of another 737 during pushback at San Francisco.
The first two aforementioned incidents occurred while one or both aircraft were taxiing, which means that the incident would either be attributed to the pilots or air traffic controllers. The third incident, as well as the collision at Houston, was due to a failure of the ground crew to maintain separation, which would likely be attributed to a lack of awareness on the apron.
