- A 64-year-old United Airlines employee was seriously injured on Saturday.
- He was driving an aircraft tug which collided with an American Eagle plane that had just landed.
- The tug flipped over and pinned the driver underneath, Chicago police said.
A man was seriously injured on Saturday after an aircraft tug collided with a plane that had just landed.
The incident happened at Chicago O’Hare Airport around 7 p.m. local time.
Chicago police said the tug flipped over after colliding with the wing of the plane, pinning the driver underneath the tug, CBS News reported.
The injured man is 64 years old and was taken to hospital in critical condition with injuries to his head and lower body, it added.
A Bombardier CRJ-200 operated by Air Wisconsin had just landed from Michigan’s Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
Air Wisconsin is a regional subsidiary of American Airlines, operating under American Eagle.
Passengers safely deplaned and were bused to the terminal, the FAA added.
"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 driver is a United Airlines employee, the airline said in a statement also shared with several outlets.
"We are ensuring he receives any necessary support and care," it added.
United did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider outside of US working hours.
The incident is the latest in a series of aviation incidents in the US.
On January 28, a 66-year-old American Airlines employee died after being hit by an airport ramp vehicle at North Carolina's Charlotte Douglas International Airport, NBC News reported.
The following day saw the country's first major airline crash in nearly 16 years, when an American Airlines plane collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter in midair above the Potomac River in Washington, DC.