Jet bridge collapses, damages United plane=0ASTORY TOOLS=0AEmail this story= | Print =0AMORE STORIES=0ASturm creates firm to manage his properties =0AU= nited to add 100 workers =0AUnited unions demand rewards =0AUnions rap Unit= ed exec pay =0AFeds: DIA 'near-miss' shows system not fail-safe=0ABy Chris = Walsh, Rocky Mountain News =0AMarch 30, 2007=0AOne of United Airlines' new = jet bridges at Denver International Airport collapsed this afternoon onto t= he wing of a plane that had just arrived from Boston. =0AThe jet bridge, wh= ich passengers walk through when boarding and exiting aircraft, suffered a = "major structural failure" as it was connecting to the rear door of a Unite= d plane at Gate B22, a source said. =0AUnited officials said there were no = reported injuries. The plane's scheduled flight this afternoon from Denver = to LaGuardia International Airport in New York has been canceled, but DIA s= aid the incident hasn't affected any other airport operations. =0AThe aircr= aft involved was a Boeing 757 carrying 176 passengers and eight crew, Unite= d said. =0A"We are currently in the process of moving the bridge and then m= oving the aircraft and taking a look at the damage," said United spokeswoma= n Megan McCarthy. =0AThe incident involves one of United's new fully automa= ted bridges that allow passengers to use both the front and rear doors of a= n airplane. =0AThe bridges essentially form a "Y" shape, with one arm conne= cting to the front of the plane and the other branching out over the aircra= ft's wing to the back door. The arm that hooks up to the rear of the aircra= ft =97 which uses sensors to automatically connect to the door =97 apparent= ly is the one that malfunctioned and crashed into the wing. =0APassengers t= hen left the plane from the front arm of the bridge, United said. =0AA spok= esman for the union that represents ground workers at United said the new b= ridges have had minor mishaps in the past, sometimes scraping up against pl= anes. =0A"We are very concerned that our members and passengers could be in= danger by the safety of these jet bridges," said Joe Tiberi, a spokesman f= or the International Association of Machinists. "We're very concerned about= its reliability." =0AUnited said the bridges have had occasional problems = lining up perfectly with the planes but that there hasn't been any malfunct= ions that caused damage. =0AThe company, which began using the bridges in A= ugust and now operates five at DIA, is testing the technology here as it de= cides whether to roll it out on a broader basis. =0AOttawa, Ontario-based D= ew Engineering and Development Ltd. developed the bridges. =0AMcCarthy said= she didn't yet know whether the United will temporarily discontinue using = the other new bridges while it investigates the incident. =0A"I don't know = status of the other ones at this time," she said. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE".