Loaded jetliner clips wings with plane being towed in 2nd incident in a week at Newark airport

Wednesday, November 1st 2006, 8:36 am

By: News On 6

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) _ A loaded Lufthansa jet departing for Germany clipped wings with another plane in the second taxiway incident at Newark Liberty International Airport in less than a week, authorities said.

None of the 311 passengers and crew on the Lufthansa flight was hurt in the incident Tuesday evening, Lufthansa spokeswoman Jennifer Urbaniak said.

The other plane, a Continental Boeing 757, was empty and being towed to an overnight parking spot, said airline spokeswoman Mary Clark.

The left wing of the Lufthansa plane struck the right wing of the Continental plane, according to Alan Hicks, spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The Federal Aviation Administration was assessing the damage and trying to determine how the incident could have occurred.

Federal officials also are investigating an incident Saturday at the airport in which a jet carrying more than 160 people landed on a taxiway instead of the runway.

Taxiways often have planes, vehicles or personnel on them. There were no injuries Saturday when the Continental flight from Orlando, Fla., landed in the wrong place. Continental said both pilots of that flight have been grounded while it investigates.

The Newark airport is one three primary airports serving the New York City area.