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Delta Plane Strikes Another Jet on Atlanta Airport Tarmac
The incident involving two planes getting ready to take off was the latest in a series of mishaps and near accidents at the country’s airports.
Two Delta Air Lines planes collided on the tarmac at an airport in Atlanta on Tuesday morning. There were no reports of injuries.
One of the planes, an Airbus A350, was taxiing at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport when its wingtip struck the tail of another plane, a smaller Bombardier CRJ-900, around 10:07 a.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration and the airline.
The Airbus was scheduled to fly to Tokyo as Delta Flight 295. The Bombardier plane was scheduled to fly to Lafayette, La., as Flight 5526 run by Endeavor Air, a Delta subsidiary.
“The F.A.A. will investigate the incident, which occurred at the intersection of two taxiways,” the agency said in a statement.
Delta said that it was working with the National Transportation Safety Board, which is also investigating the incident, and other government agencies.
“There have been no reported injuries at this time and customers are being transported back to the terminal where they will be reaccommodated on alternate flights,” it said in a statement.
Delta said there were 221 passengers on the Airbus plane and 56 on the Bombardier. An airport spokesman said the passengers from one plane were taken by bus to the terminal, while the other plane taxied back to a gate. Delta and the airport said the collision did not cause a major disruption to other flights.
There have been no fatal accidents involving a major U.S. airline in more than a decade but close calls occur more often than many people realize, a New York Times investigation found last year. Several episodes in early 2023 prompted concerns about air safety, leading the F.A.A. to hold a summit to discuss the issue and take other actions. Congress has also looked into such close calls and some lawmakers have called for changes to the air traffic system to reduce the risk of accidents.
In a social media post, Jason Adams, a meteorologist for an ABC affiliate in Florida, said he was on the plane bound for Lafayette when it was clipped by another on a taxiway at the airport.
“Very jarring, metal scraping sounds then loud bangs,” he said on X. “We’re fine. No fire or smoke.”
Mr. Adams said the plane was evacuated and posted a photo showing what appeared to be a dislodged tail.
Niraj Chokshi writes about aviation, rail and other transportation industries. More about Niraj Chokshi
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