Plane collides with aircraft tug at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport; tug driver critically injured

CHICAGO (CBS) — A worker at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport was critically injured Saturday night when an aircraft tug collided with a plane that had just landed and was approaching a gate, causing the tug to flip over.

The Federal Aviation Administration said that the incident occurred at around 7:35 p.m. local time, Air Wisconsin Flight 6181 was hit by an aircraft tug while approaching a gate at O’Hare. Air Wisconsin is a regional airline operating under American Eagle, which is a subsidiary of American Airlines. 

Chicago police said the tug flipped over after colliding with the wing of the plane, and the tug flipped over, pinning the driver underneath it.

The driver, a 64-year-old man, was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in critical condition with injuries to his head and lower body. Police said he was stabilized at the hospital.

The FAA said the plane, a Bombardier CRJ-200, had just arrived from Kalamazoo, Michigan. No passengers were injured, the Chicago Department of Aviation said, adding that “there was no significant impact on airport operations.”

Everyone was taken off the plane after the collision and bused to the terminal.

“Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and team members, and we are reviewing this incident,” an American Airlines spokesperson said in a statement.

The tug was operated by a United Airlines worker, and the airline said “we are ensuring he receives any necessary support and care.”

The FAA is investigating the cause of the collision.

The collision comes one day after seven people were killed when a medical transport helicopter crashed in a Philadelphia neighborhood.

Two days earlier, an American Airlines passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter collided in midair and crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., killing all 67 people aboard the two aircraft.