Two Delta Air Lines regional jets collided on a taxiway at New York’s LaGuardia Airport Wednesday night, injuring one flight attendant in what the airline described as a “low-speed collision.”
Flight 5047 from Charlotte, North Carolina, arrived around 10 p.m. when the wing of Flight 5155, preparing to depart for Roanoke, Virginia, struck the arriving aircraft’s fuselage, Delta stated.
Both aircraft involved are CRJ-900 regional jets operated by Endeavor Air on behalf of Delta.
“We have two CRJs on (taxiway) M that collided,” the Flight 5047 pilot reported in air traffic control audio. “Their right wing clipped our nose and the cockpit wind screens.”
Flight 5047 carried 57 passengers while Flight 5155 had 28 passengers aboard. Customers were bused back to the terminal and provided food and beverages before being escorted to hotel rooms and rebooked on alternative flights.
A flight attendant suffered minor injuries and received treatment from EMTs before transport to a local hospital. No passengers were injured in the incident.
“Delta will work with all relevant authorities to review what occurred as safety of our customers and people comes before all else. We apologize to our customers for the experience,” the airline said.
Delta confirmed it will fully cooperate with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, FAA, NTSB, and other agencies investigating the incident.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported that air traffic control instructed the Roanoke-bound flight to “hold short and yield to the other aircraft” prior to the collision.
The FAA is investigating the circumstances surrounding the taxiway collision, which represents one of several recent ground incidents at U.S. airports raising concerns about runway and taxiway safety protocols.
Ground collisions, while typically occurring at low speeds, can cause significant aircraft damage and raise questions about communication procedures between pilots and air traffic controllers during taxiing operations.
