Date:	Thursday 8 February 2024
Time:	06:40
Type:	Airbus A321-271NX
Owner/operator:	JetBlue Airways
Registration:	N2157J
MSN:	11397
Year of manufacture:	2023
Engine model:	Pratt & Whitney PW1133G-JM
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 254
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Minor
Category:	Accident
Location:	Boston-Logan International Airport (BOS/KBOS), Boston, MA -   United States of America
Phase:	Taxi
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Boston Logan International Airport
Destination airport:	Las Vegas-Harry Reid International Airport, NV (LAS/KLAS)
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
JetBlue flight B6777, an Airbus A321-271NX (N2157J) and JetBlue flight B6551, an Airbus A321 (N956JT), were involved in a ground contact incident at Boston Logan International Airport during taxi.

While taxiing within the Amelia Earhart de-icing pad area, the left winglet of JetBlue Airways flight 777 collided with the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator of JetBlue Airways flight 551. There were no injuries to the 210 passengers and crew on flight 551 or the 154 passengers and crew on flight 777.

The flight crew of flight 551 stated that, following a normal preflight and uneventful taxi from the gate to the de-icing pad, they were guided by a 'follow me' vehicle. The flight crew proceeded to follow the vehicle to the D2 parking spot. A yellow painted 'T' inside a black square marked the proper stopping point location for the airplane's nose tires when parked. Nearing the stopping point, the 'follow me' vehicle turned to the right and stopped with its headlights facing toward the back of the airplane. The driver of the 'follow me' vehicle communicated with the flight crew via radio and began a 'countdown' for when the captain should stop the airplane.

Upon the verbal stop command, the captain stopped the airplane and set the parking brake. After the de-ice procedure was complete, the flight crew received instructions to taxi the airplane to runway 9 for departure. Immediately after releasing the airplane's parking brake, the flight crew felt jolts and vibrations and the airplane swayed back and forth. The captain set the parking brake and the first officer (FO) contacted air traffic control (ATC) and was informed they had been struck by another aircraft.

In a post-accident statement, the driver of the 'follow me' vehicle indicated that he stopped the airplane (flight 551) at what he thought was the normal stopping point. He had difficulty seeing the yellow 'T' -bar due to the dark night conditions and the de-icing fluid that was present on the ground. A post-accident inspection found that the airplane was about 35 ft short of the normal stopping point.

The flight crew of flight 777 indicated that after a normal preflight and uneventful taxi from the gate to the de-icing pad they were guided to the D1 spot by a 'follow me' vehicle. The captain stated spacing appeared to be tight and he focused on the yellow taxi line to ensure proper clearance from other airplanes in the area. Shortly thereafter, while taxiing, the flight crew heard a grinding noise and felt a vibration. While still moving forward, they heard another aircraft on the radio frequency ask if something had struck their airplane.

The flight crew of flight 777 stopped their airplane and set the parking brake. The captain had difficulty seeing the left winglet due to the dark night conditions but noted that it was intact. In addition, he was unable to see the empennage of flight 551 parked at the D2 location as it was behind them.

Flight 551 (N956JT) sustained substantial damage to the left horizontal stabilizer and the left elevator.

As a result of this event, Aeromag investigated and produced a February 12, 2024, memo to their BOS-JBU [JetBlue] operations staff discussing an amendment to the Coordinator of Traffic and Movement (CTM) phraseology and aircraft stopping procedures. The memo outlined the updated procedures and phraseology as:
• “Follow me” truck is now required to verbally confirm with the flight crew that the aircraft is correctly stopped on the deicing “T”-Bar.
• JetBlue will add to the Airport Briefing Guide (ABG) that the pilot will not configure the aircraft until confirmation that the aircraft is correctly stopped on the deicing “T”-Bar.
• The “follow me” truck is required to check the rear of the aircraft to ensure that it is within the bay and clear of the zipper line before confirming brake set.
• Safety Lead will perform a secondary check, reconfirming with the CTM that the aircraft has stopped on the deicing “T”-Bar. Safety Lead will also verify that the rear of the aircraft is clear of the zipper line and within the bay.
• Truck positioning and aircraft deicing will commence after these checks have been completed.
Additionally, once CTM has confirmed with the flight crew that they have a visual on the “follow me” truck, the “follow me” truck operator will follow these steps:
1. Guide the aircraft into the assigned bay.
2. Ensure the aircraft is properly stopped on the deicing “T”-Bar.
3. Confirm that the rear of the aircraft is within the bay, clear of the zipper line, before bringing any other aircraft in.

Finally, the Safety Lead will:
1. Inspect and confirm with CTM that the aircraft is properly stopped on the deicing “T”-Bar.
2. Inspect that the rear of the aircraft is well within the bay and clear of the zipper line.

Aeromag also increased its daily roster to include sufficient qualified staff to allocate a Safety Lead dedicated to each operational bay regardless of operating conditions. Long term prevention strategies identified were:
• Repainting and reviewing the color format of the delineated markings using high-visibility paint and/or reflective inset markers.
• Investigating the feasibility of adding high mast lighting for the Earhart facility.
• Operational audits to focus on the correct positioning of aircraft while maintaining the safety buffer zones.
• Explore opportunities to locate Aeromag tower personnel in elevated positions.

Probable Cause: The 'follow me' driver stopping the airplane (flight 551) about 35 feet from the normal stopping point due to a difficulty in seeing the yellow 'T'-bar because of the dark night conditions and the presence of de-icing fluid on the ground.

Weather about the time of the incident:
KBOS 081054Z 13003KT 10SM FEW070 FEW250 M02/M03 A3032 RMK AO2 SLP265 T10171028
KBOS 081154Z 00000KT 10SM FEW040 SCT070 M02/M03 A3032 RMK AO2 SLP267 T10171028 10006 21022 53002
KBOS 081254Z 00000KT 10SM BKN055 01/M02 A3034 RMK AO2 SLP274 T00111017

https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/two-jet-blue-planes-collide-ground-bostons-logan-airport/DNURNM3MMVCKFC25DX2VLOMM2Q/

https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=193765
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n2157j#33eb1f23

#BREAKINGNEWS: Two Jet Blue planes collided on the ground at Logan Airport on Thursday morning, FAA says

?Dave Sauter, Real Ryan B, and Scott Pickard https://t.co/BNaicCKSgY pic.twitter.com/sskdKm9znX

— Boston 25 News (@boston25) February 8, 2024

Aircraft incident #Boston Logan airport. The wingtip (winglet) of the JetBlue airliner at left appears to have struck the horizontal stabilizer in the tail section of the JetBlue plane Flight 551 at right. Story-> https://t.co/LKtj938xFB #AvGeek ?Mark Garfinkel/@NBC10Boston pic.twitter.com/3ghObIuEi2

— Mark Garfinkel (@pictureboston) February 8, 2024

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
08-Feb-2024 13:41	gerard57	Added
08-Feb-2024 15:05	ASN	Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
08-Feb-2024 15:12	ASN	Updated [Embed code, Category, ]
24-Apr-2024 19:41	Captain Adam	Updated [Total occupants, Location, Source, Accident report, ]
19-Aug-2024 20:20	Captain Adam	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]