San Francisco Airport: United Flights Clipped and Returned Due to Fire Concerns

Two separate United Airlines incidents at SFO within 24 hours involved a ground collision and a flight returning due to a burning odor, causing travel disruptions but no injuries.

By Aidin Vaziri

Source San Francisco Chronicle (TNS)

Sept. 3, 2025

Sep. 2—Two United Airlines flights experienced unrelated incidents at San Francisco International Airport within 24 hours, officials said.

On Monday night, a Denver-bound plane clipped the tail of another United aircraft while pushing back from a gate. Flight 1871 struck the tail of Flight 796, which was parked and preparing for departure to Boston, according to the airline and the Federal Aviation Administration.

No injuries were reported. Passengers on both planes deplaned normally, and United provided alternate aircraft. The FAA said the collision occurred in an area where controllers do not guide planes and confirmed it will investigate.

Hours later, a separate United flight to Baltimore returned to SFO after passengers and crew noticed a burning odor. Flight 2664, a Boeing 737 Max 9 carrying 164 passengers and eight crew members, departed at 9:47 a.m. Tuesday, but landed back in San Francisco less than an hour later.

The airline said the decision was made "to address a plastic burning smell in the cabin." Everyone deplaned safely, and a replacement aircraft was arranged. United did not say what caused the odor.

Neither incident resulted in injuries, though both disrupted travel at one of the nation's busiest airports.