Officials say seven people have been injured after a “partial equipment failure” involving a jet bridge at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
The airport initially tweeted that six people had been taken to a hospital as a precaution on the night of Dec. 29 with non-life-threatening injuries due to the incident at Gate E-10.
Partial equipment failure involving jet bridge at #BWI Gate E-10. BWI Fire & Rescue Dept responded, along w/ mutual aid. Preliminary info indicates 6 individuals transported to local hospitals w/ non-life-threatening injuries.
— BWI Marshall Airport (@BWI_Airport) December 30, 2018
the offending jet bridge anD SOME STAIRS pic.twitter.com/qZiHzW2zNx
— Alex Scoville (@AlexScoville) December 27, 2018
A few hours later, The Baltimore Sun reported that according to a spokesperson with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), seven people had been injured in the incident.
The FAA is now saying seven people were injured after the jet bridge collapsed.
Officials were responding to a sick passenger on a Southwest flight. https://t.co/nepsKz41g3
— The Baltimore Sun (@baltimoresun) December 30, 2018
In a statement, Southwest Airlines said that Flight 822 had just landed at 7:47 p.m. from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and was requesting paramedics to help with a medical situation involving a passenger on the flight.
Southwest says the airport’s passenger-loading bridge “experienced a failure” when four medics and two Southwest airline employees were helping to move the sick passenger off the aircraft.
All seven people on the jetbridge fell to the ground as it collapsed, according to the FAA. Southwest says the remaining passengers were able to safely exit the plane around 8:45 p.m. using air stairs, Fox Baltimore reported.
Jet bridge collapse/failure at Baltimore/Washington Int’l Airport. Reports of multiple people hurt. Multiple paramedic and fire units in scene. #BWI pic.twitter.com/FnyerMQQ7o
— Tom Podolec Aviation (@TomPodolec) December 30, 2018
BWI confirms partial jet bridge failure tonight on flight 822 from Punta Cana. William Yerman was on the plane with his family:
“We heard this incredibly loud bang, it was just deafening. And then the thing crashed and it hit down.”
Live coverage at 11 on #WJZ pic.twitter.com/FscV7GDto2
— Devin Bartolotta (@WJZDevin) December 30, 2018
The airport says the plane has been moved and the incident has not caused further impacts to the airport’s operations. It added that an investigation into why the bridge collapsed is underway.
UPDATE: Jet bridge failure is under investigation. The jet bridge will remain closed until investigation is complete. Aircraft moved from gate. No further impact to operations.
— BWI Marshall Airport (@BWI_Airport) December 30, 2018
Additional reporting by NTD staff.
