Parked United B747 punctured in collision with towed plane

[WASHINGTON] A United Airlines jumbo jet's hull was punctured in a Chicago airport collision with another plane last month, four people familiar with the matter said, grounding the Boeing 747 for weeks of repairs. No one was aboard.

The parked B747, one of only 24 jumbos at the carrier, was sliced open by the wing of a wide-body United jet that was being towed, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the details are private.

A spokesman, Christen David, said that the accident occurred on July 28 near an O'Hare Airport maintenance hangar but declined to elaborate.