Jet bridge collapses, damages United plane
Chris Walsh, Rocky Mountain News
Published March 30, 2007 at midnight
One of United Airlines' new jet bridges at Denver International Airport collapsed this afternoon onto the wing of a plane that had just arrived from Boston.
The jet bridge, which passengers walk through when boarding and exiting aircraft, suffered a "major structural failure" as it was connecting to the rear door of a United plane at Gate B22, a source said.
United officials said there were no reported injuries. The plane's scheduled flight this afternoon from Denver to LaGuardia International Airport in New York has been canceled, but DIA said the incident hasn't affected any other airport operations.
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 757 carrying 176 passengers and eight crew, United said.
"We are currently in the process of moving the bridge and then moving the aircraft and taking a look at the damage," said United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy.
The incident involves one of United's new fully automated bridges that allow passengers to use both the front and rear doors of an airplane.
The bridges essentially form a "Y" shape, with one arm connecting to the front of the plane and the other branching out over the aircraft's wing to the back door. The arm that hooks up to the rear of the aircraft — which uses sensors to automatically connect to the door — apparently is the one that malfunctioned and crashed into the wing.
Passengers then left the plane from the front arm of the bridge, United said.
A spokesman for the union that represents ground workers at United said the new bridges have had minor mishaps in the past, sometimes scraping up against planes.
"We are very concerned that our members and passengers could be in danger by the safety of these jet bridges," said Joe Tiberi, a spokesman for the International Association of Machinists. "We're very concerned about its reliability."
United said the bridges have had occasional problems lining up perfectly with the planes but that there hasn't been any malfunctions that caused damage.
The company, which began using the bridges in August and now operates five at DIA, is testing the technology here as it decides whether to roll it out on a broader basis.
Ottawa, Ontario-based Dew Engineering and Development Ltd. developed the bridges.
McCarthy said she didn't yet know whether the United will temporarily discontinue using the other new bridges while it investigates the incident.
"I don't know status of the other ones at this time," she said.
walshc@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2744
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