A frightening incident occurred at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport just after 10 a.m. Tuesday when two Delta Air Lines planes collided on the runway while taxiing for takeoff. But fortunately, no one was injured.
Grayling CNNThe incident occurred when the wingtip of a Delta Airbus A350 en route to Tokyo “contacted” a Delta CRJ 900 regional jet operated by Endeavor Airlines to LaFayette, state, causing damage to the tail of the regional jet. and the Airbus wing. An airline spokesperson said passengers on the regional flight were taken back to the terminal by bus. The regional aircraft carried 56 passengers at the time, while the Airbus carried 221 passengers.
“At this time, no injuries have been reported and customers are being transported back to the terminal where they will be placed on alternate flights,” Delta's website said.
According to publicly available information from the Federal Aviation Administration, the affected runway was closed along with several nearby taxiways. The agency also said it was investigating the incident, and Delta said it was cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board and other authorities.
Tampa meteorologist Jason Adams was aboard one of the planes and described the impact. TMZ as “very disturbing” with “metal scraping sounds followed by a loud bang”. Still, he added: “We're fine. There's no fire or smoke.”
“I just watched two planes hit each other while one was taking off. CRAZY!” One witness posted photos on social media, later issuing a correction saying the planes were taxiing and not taking off.
I just saw two planes hit each other while one was taking off. CRAZY! @Delta @FoxNews @FAANews pic.twitter.com/cjWazBa8oK
– Talbot Cox (@TalbotCox) September 10, 2024
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the busiest airport in the world. In another incident a few weeks ago, two people were killed in a Delta Air Lines maintenance area at the busy Atlanta airport when a tire on a Delta Boeing 757 exploded while it was being removed from the plane. The FAA was also aware of the crash and communicated with Delta.