Ice breaker

Plane accidents can happen even on the ground, interrupting and delaying travel.

Some 221 Tokyo-bound passengers of Delta Air Lines Flight 295 were inconvenienced when they had to return to the terminal and transfer to another aircraft after a freak accident at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, USA on 10 September.

Another 56 passengers in a smaller Endeavor Air plane bound for Lafayette, Louisiana also had to disembark and transfer after the aircraft’s tail fell off when it was struck by the bigger plane’s wingtip on the runway. The Delta plane was taxiing for takeoff when it collided with the Endeavor aircraft.

Fortunately, no one was hurt in the accident.

Ships have also figured in collisions.

The Carnival Spirit cruise ship was sailing in Tracy Arm Fjord, a waterway south of the city of Juneau in Alaska, early this month when a rare collision occurred.

Several passengers caught the incident on video and a report on CNN showed the ship sideswiping an iceberg.

One passenger called the incident a “Titanic moment,” referring to the sinking of the famous ship after it hit an iceberg off Nova Scotia, Canada during its maiden voyage from London to New York in April 1912. Hundreds of passengers and crew were killed.

Fortunately, this time no one was hurt. The cruise ship also was not damaged and continued on its week-long voyage.