One person has been taken to hospital after two Delta Air Lines planes collided on the taxiway at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
The incident took place on Wednesday night (October 1), shortly after Flight 5047 had touched down in the Big Apple from Charlotte, North Carolina, with 57 passengers on board.
At the same time, Flight 5155 had 28 passengers on board and was preparing to depart to Roanoke, Virginia by moving down its own taxiway.
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The planes collided at the intersection of taxiway M and A, with details of the collision reported by the pilot of Flight 5047, who radioed the ground controller after the incident.
According to audio recorded by LiveATC.net, he said: "We have two CRJs on (taxiway) M that collided. Their right wing clipped our nose and the cockpit wind screens.”
The wing of the Virginia flight slammed into the cockpit window of the NC flight in what was described by Delta as a 'low-speed collision' between the jets, which were operated by regional carrier, Endeavor Air.
One flight attendant injured her knee in the collision, according to the audio from air traffic control, with a spokesperson for LaGuardia Airport saying the crew member 'suffered non-life threatening injuries and was transported to hospital as a precautionary measure.'
There were no other injuries in the incident.
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One passenger who was on board the NC flight during the incident was CBS News employee Joey Annunziato, who said in a video shared on X, formerly Twitter, that the plane 'got absolutely smashed by another Delta flight'.
“Everyone shot forward in their seats and it was kind of a little chaotic as soon as it happened," he said. “We were kind of shocked at what happened. We were moving at a pretty decent clip too.”
The Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed it is now investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.
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According to the FAA, per CNN, air traffic control had instructed Flight 5155 to wait to cross the intersection and yield to the other aircraft.
In its own statement, Delta Air Lines said: "Delta teams at our New York-LaGuardia hub are working to ensure our customers are taken care of after two Delta Connection aircraft operated by Endeavor Air were involved in a low-speed collision during taxi. 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 passengers involved were taken to the terminal by bus and offered hotel room and meals following the collision, which did not otherwise impact airport operations. The LaGuardia spokesperson told the Mail Online passengers on the departing plane would be rebooked on to another flight.
UNILAD has reached out to LaGuardia and Delta for comment.
Topics: Delta Airlines, New York, Travel, US News
Emily Brown