American Airlines Flight to Dallas Delayed After Tug Truck Crashes Into Plane

Passengers on a Dallas-bound American Airlines flight out of Baltimore were delayed Sunday after the tug truck struck and damaged the aircraft.

American Airlines Flight 140 was to depart Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport just after 5 p.m., ET.

The flight was canceled after the tug crashed into the front of the MD-80, shattering the fiberglass nose cone and hitting the landing gear, the airline said.

Ground personnel were attaching the tow bar so the tug could push the aircraft out of the gate when the collision occurred, the airline said. Just how the tug crashed into the plane remains under investigation.

“All of a sudden, the plane just really shook and my first reaction was maybe another plane had hit the plane while we were parked there,” said Eric Crusius, a passenger on Flight 140. Crusius took pictures of the collision before being told to get off the plane.

“At the time it happened, everyone was a little shaken up, including me," Crusius said.

None of the 117 passengers on board the aircraft were injured in the collision. All passengers were either booked on other carriers or rebooked for Monday since this was the last AA flight between BWI and DFW for the day.

“I was actually texting with my wife and she instructed me to get off the plane before the pilot told us to get off the plane,” Crusius said.

“It almost felt a little bit like an earthquake,” Crusius said.

The driver of the tug was slightly injured and taken to a hospital for treatment before being released later that night.