# Incident 20181115021752I: Boeing 737-8H4, St. Louis, MO, November 15, 2018

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 15, 2018, 16:15 local time
- Place: St. Louis, MO
- Airport: St Louis Lambert International
- Damage: Minor damage
- Collision: Collision on the ground
- Phase of flight: Taxi
- Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
- Operator: SWAA
- Location: 38.7487° N, 90.3700° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at ST LOUIS LAMBERT INTL (STL), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.7487&lon=-90.3700&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8635F, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8635F-2026-07-16) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Boeing 737-8H4 (registry code 138440A, https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-737-8h4) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: CFM International CFM56-7B27E series (registry code 13078, https://openairdocs.org/engine/cfm-international-cfm56-7b27e-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BOEING 737-8H4
- Reported engine: CFM INTL CFM56-7B27E
- People aboard: 6
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport
- Pilot flight hours: 16,086 total, 16,086 in this make and model, 177 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20181115021752I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

APPROXIMATELY 1608L SOUTHWEST AIRCRAFT N8635F WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TAXI INTO KSTL GATE E31 STRUCK WOW AIR FLIGHT 168 REGISTRATION TF-DTR .  N8635F LEFT WINGLET STRUCK THE TRAILING EDGE OF WOW AIR  AIRCRAFT TF-DTR RIGHT WINGLET TRAILING EDGE.  THE WOW AIR AIRCRAFT WAS PARKED AT GATE E29 PREPARING FOR DEPARTURE.  GROUND SUPPORT PERSONNEL STATED THAT THE WOW AIRCRAFT WAS PARKED INCORRECTLY ON THE BOEING 777 LEAD-IN LINE RATHER THAN THE A321 LEAD-IN LINE.  THIS FACT WAS CONFIRMED BY SOUTHWEST AND AIRPORT TERMINAL SERVICES PERSONNEL (ATS).  ATS MANAGER STATED ATS PERSONNEL TOWED THE WOW AIRCRAFT TO THE GATE EARLIER AND PLACED THE AIRCRAFT ON 777 LEAD IN LINE DUE TO EQUIPMENT PREVENTING THE AIRCRAFT FROM PARKING ON THE A321 LEAD IN LINE.  THIS CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO BE SEVERAL FEET CLOSER TO GATE E31 AND PLACED THE WOW AIRCRAFT INSIDE OF THE GATE E31 SAFETY ZONE.  SOUTHWEST AIRLINES ONLY HAD A MARSHALLER AT THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT AND NO WINGWALKERS TO MONITOR WINGTIP CLEARANCE AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT.  THE MARSHALLER WHEN INTERVIEWED STATED THAT HE DID GIVE THE CAPTAIN A STOP SIGNAL WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS 5 TO 10 FEET FROM COLLIDING.  THE SOUTHWEST AIRCRAFT WAS UNABLE TO BRAKE IN TIME BEFORE THE COLLISION.  DAMAGE TO THE SOUTHWEST AIRCRAFT CONSISTED OF DENTS IN THE LEADING EDGE OF THE LEFT WING WINGLET.  THE LEADING EDGE OF THE SOUTHWEST WINGLET EMBEDDED INTO THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE WINGLET ON THE WOW AIRCRAFT.  THIS CAUSED A TEAR IN THE COMPOSITE MATERIAL OF SEVERAL INCHES AT THE TRAILING EDGE BASE OF THE RIGHT WINGLET.

## Other aircraft in the event

- TF-DTR, Airbus A-321-235N: no report for this aircraft in the release

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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