If you’re planning to depart from Houston’s Hobby Airport on Tuesday afternoon, you may encounter a delay as emergency crews responded to a damaged jet on the taxiway.
News helicopters flew over the airport just after 4 p.m., capturing a white aircraft with a damaged winglet.
Houston Airport System confirmed two private jets clipped wings as they were moving on the airfield at about 3:30 p.m. There were no injuries reported, and the aircraft were declared fire-safe by the Houston Fire Department.
The Federal Aviation Administration elaborated on preliminary findings, stating a twin-engine Hawker H25B departed Runway 22 without permission when it collided with a twin-engine Cessna C510 that was landing on Runway 13 Right.
The Cessna went onto taxi in the ramp area. FAA did not disclose how many people were on board each plane.
The plane that news helicopters initially captured was the Hawker, based on FAA’s information.
Debris from the incident shut down the airfield until further notice, which means all arriving and departing flights are grounded or diverted, HAS added. Officials urged travelers to check with their airlines for more information.
A check of the Fly2Houston website shows multiple flights scheduled to depart in the 4 p.m. hour shifted to up to two hours.
In an update just after 5 p.m., the airport said it diverted 11 flights and canceled four related to the incident. There was no word on when the groundstop would be lifted.
GROUNDSTOP AT HOBBY AIRPORT pic.twitter.com/RxQT2RcSsH
— Hobby Airport (@HobbyAirport) October 24, 2023