2 Southwest planes clip each other at Baltimore airport prompting investigation

Passengers aboard two Southwest Airlines flights were forced to change planes earlier this week after the airplanes clipped each other while leaving the gates at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport.

According to both the FAA and Southwest Airlines, during pushback, Southwest flights 1048 to Connecticut and 562 to Houston backed into each other and caused minor damage to the wingtips.

Southwest said the planes were immediately removed from service.

The air carrier said no passengers were injured, and an internal review is underway.

In a statement, Southwest said, "Safety is their top priority for both passengers and employees."

The FAA is investigating.

FAA: No communication area

On Live ATC, the pilot of flight 1048 can be heard telling air traffic controllers about the incident after the collision.

"Hey, ground, Southwest 1048, we had contact between the 2 aircraft back here," the pilot said. "We're going to need to taxi straight ahead back to Alpha 7."

However, beforehand, the FAA said that the area is an area where air traffic controllers typically do not have any communication with the crew.

CBS News Baltimore was told that navigating the gates at BWI for pilots and planes takes a bit of geometry. Patience and awareness are needed to safely maneuver.

Dwain Celistan, a frequent flier, said that despite air travel coming under scrutiny over the past year for crashes and failed communications, it doesn't scare him away from using that mode of transportation.

"It's becoming more frequent and more concerning, but I still believe it's the safest way to travel and so while it does occur it's so infrequent as to not deter me from wanting to fly," Celistan said.