Two Delta passenger planes collided at a major international airport, causing damage to one aircraft’s wing and resulting in at least one injury. The incident occurred when two CRJ-900 regional jets, operated by Delta subsidiary Endeavor Air, clipped each other while taxiing at low speed at New York’s LaGuardia Airport around 9.56 pm on Wednesday night. The wing of an aircraft preparing to depart for Roanoke, Virginia, struck the fuselage of an aircraft arriving from Charlotte, North Carolina, according to Delta’s statement.
Following the collision, images captured the aftermath showing one plane with a torn wing and the other with a visibly dented nose. Passengers and crew members were left stranded as emergency vehicles rushed to the scene on the tarmac. One passenger described the impact as severe, stating, “We were taxiing to our runway and we got absolutely smashed by another Delta flight… I don’t know if we hit them or they hit us but it was super jarring.” The passenger further mentioned the chaotic scene and the shock of the unexpected collision.
A flight attendant sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a hospital, as confirmed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Fortunately, there were no reports of injured passengers, according to the airline. Delta assured that the rest of the airport’s operations were expected to continue without disruptions and emphasized their commitment to prioritizing the safety of customers and staff.
In a statement, Delta expressed regret for the incident and pledged to collaborate with relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances. Additionally, an airport spokesperson disclosed that passengers were safely deplaned on the taxiway and transferred back to Terminal C via buses. Those on the departing planes affected by the collision would be accommodated on alternative flights.
In a separate incident at Nice Côte d’Azur airport in France, an easyJet plane narrowly avoided a potential collision with another airliner. Passengers on board the easyJet aircraft were waiting to take off when they heard an incoming Nouvelair jet applying full power to prevent an imminent crash. The Tunisian Airbus had mistakenly attempted to land on the incorrect runway at the airport, which has two closely parallel runways. The incident, occurring during heavy rain on September 21 at 11.30 pm, prompted immediate investigation by the French transport minister to determine the cause of the near-miss between the two airline planes.
