Tuesday morning, two Delta Air Lines aircraft collided on the taxiway at Atlanta’s airport, with the bigger aircraft tipping the smaller regional jet’s tail.
Passengers would be rebooked on other flights, according to Delta, and no injuries were recorded.
According to Atlanta-based Delta, the tail of a smaller Bombardier CRJ-900 that was on a nearby taxiway was struck by the wing of a Delta Airbus A350 aircraft headed for Tokyo. The smaller aircraft, owned by Endeavor Air, a Delta subsidiary, was getting ready to take off for Lafayette, Louisiana.
WFTS-TV meteorologist Jason Adams, who is his route to Louisiana to cover Tropical Storm Francine, described the impact moment on social media platform X.
Adams wrote, “Well, that was terrifying.” “Taxiing out for the flight from Atlanta to Louisiana and another plane appears to have clipped the back of our plane. Very jarring, metal scraping sounds then loud bangs. We’re fine. No fire or smoke.”
Adams shared photos of the smaller plane’s tail lying on the taxiway and being knocked on its side.
According to Delta, the bigger plane’s wing sustained damage as well.
Passengers from one jet were bussed back to the terminal, according to officials at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, while the other plane autonomously made its way back to a gate. The Airbus carried 221 passengers, while the regional jet carried 56 passengers.
Delta stated that it would assist other law enforcement agencies, including the National Transportation Safety Board, in their investigation. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, it is also looking into this.
The busiest airport in the world saw “minimal” operational disruptions, according to airport officials.
(AP)