A plow truck has reportedly crashed into a United Express Embraer E175 aircraft in Minot, United States. Images posted in a Facebook group called Flightradar24 Flight Spotters show that the E175 sustained ground damage to its radome.
According to flight-tracking data from Flightradar24.com, the United Express Embraer E175 flight from Minot International Airport (MOT) to Denver International Airport (DEN) was canceled as a result of the incident. Simple Flying has asked for a comment from United Airlines.
A Closer Look Into The Incident
On December 9, 2025, a United express Embraer E175 regional aircraft, registered as N135SY, reportedly collided with a plow truck at Minot International Airport (MOT). Images posted on social media show that the aircraft sustained significant damage to its nose, which appears to have been torn.
The Embraer E175 was scheduled to depart for Denver International Airport (DEN) at 7:15 AM for a one-and-a-half-hour flight from Minot. However, according to Flightradar24.com, the flight was subsequently canceled. According to the data, the aircraft is scheduled for a commercial flight from DEN to Palm Springs on December 11, 2025.
The aircraft in question is the airline’s 10.7-year-old Embraer E175LR regional airliner. According to ch-aviation, the regional jet can accommodate a total of 76 passengers in a two-class cabin configuration: 12 in business class and 64 in economy. The aircraft is operated by SkyWest Airlines, an American regional carrier operating on behalf of the United Express brand.
A Common But Underreported Problem
Ground damage is a term used across the aviation industry to describe any damage sustained by an aircraft while it is on the ground. Ground damage typically happens during the ground-handling incident. Globally, thousands of minor ground-handling incidents are reported each year. Most involve equipment striking an aircraft, such as belt loaders, catering trucks, tugs, or deicing vehicles.
While such events are not everyday occurrences at a single airport, they are frequent enough across the industry to remain a consistent safety concern. Indeed, some industry experts say that ground damage occurs far too often. In an interview with AviationPros, Jason Mann, General Manager at Western Jet Aviation, stated that “there’s a light pole out here on the ramp next to us that’s bent from coming into contact with a Global Express wing.”
Terry Yeomans, Director of the IS-BAH (International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling) Program, who also spoke with AviationPros, highlighted another issue related to ground damage. While these incidents pose safety threats depending on their severity, they are generally not significant enough to require formal reporting by aviation regulators.
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Indeed, incidents on the ground occur quite frequently. Just over a week ago, an Emirates Airbus A380 was grounded after colliding with a fuel truck at Manchester Airport (MAN), damaging one of its fuel cowlings. The incident forced Emirates to cancel its scheduled return flight to Dubai, and the aircraft remained grounded in Manchester for more than two days.
A fuel truck is said to have “struck” the aircraft while it was parked at the gate, leaving a hole in the engine cowling. Details on what precisely happened are limited at this stage, although Planespotters.net listed engine No.1 as the damaged engine. Ground damage can also occur when two aircraft make contact with each other, such as clipping wings while taxiing or during pushback. This occurred last month involving two United Airlines aircraft.
On the evening of November 18, 2025, two United Airlines Boeing 737-900ERs struck their wingtips during pushback at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). According to FOX8, the collision tore off the winglet tip of one aircraft, while the second aircraft also likely sustained winglet damage.
