Two Delta Air Lines regional jets collided at the intersection of two taxiways at LaGuardia Airport in New York, injuring a flight attendant, damaging a cockpit, and tearing off part of a wing, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported Thursday.
The NTSB said it sent a team of 10 investigators to the airport following the collision on Wednesday night. Flight recorders have already been recovered from both airplanes and sent to NTSB headquarters for analysis.
It was not immediately clear who was at fault. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that air traffic control had instructed the Virginia-bound plane “to hold short and yield to the other aircraft” before the collision occurred.
According to Delta, an aircraft carrying 32 people was preparing for takeoff to Roanoke, Virginia, when its wing made contact with the fuselage of an arriving aircraft from Charlotte, North Carolina, which had 61 people aboard. The airline described the incident as a “low-speed collision” but did not disclose the exact speeds of the planes, noting that this information is “germane to the open and ongoing investigation.”
A passenger video captured one plane moving at a relatively high speed when the collision happened.
The flight attendant was taken to a hospital, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed. Audio posted by www.LiveATC.net revealed that one of the pilots informed the control tower that the flight attendant had hit her knee during the collision.
Fortunately, there were no reports of passenger injuries.
According to air traffic control audio, a pilot described the damage: “Their right wing clipped our nose and the cockpit. We have damage to our windscreen and … some of our screens in here.” Images showed a broken wing on one plane and a shattered cockpit window with a deeply gouged nose on the other.
A passenger on the landed plane, William Lusk, told ABC, “The plane stopped, jerked, and jumped to the right. Everyone went dead silent. As everyone went dead silent, the pilot calmly came on and said, ‘Hey, we’ve been in a crash, everyone remain calm.’”
Incidents like this raise concerns about aviation safety, coming in the wake of recent crashes and near misses, including the deadliest plane crash in the United States in decades, when an Army helicopter collided with an airliner preparing to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Jeff Guzzetti, a former NTSB and FAA crash investigator and now an aviation safety consultant, explained the roles involved: “The ground controller lines up planes on taxiways and directs them where to go, but the pilots are expected to avoid other planes as they move at slow speeds while controllers focus on keeping the runways clear.”
He added, “You’re supposed to have situational awareness about where your wings are poking out at and what they could hit as you’re taxiing. They (controllers) expect the flight crews to see each other since they’re taxiing at a slow speed. And the controller’s main function is to make sure the runway is clear for takeoff and landings.”
Given that the collision happened at night, and that planes typically turn off their nose lights while taxiing, it may have been more difficult for the pilots to see exactly where the other aircraft was, Guzzetti noted.
He further explained that a plane’s taxi lights are located on the wings. Landing lights, which improve visibility and help ensure other pilots can see the plane, are used cautiously because they can impair night vision.
In a statement, Delta said, “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 Delta Connection aircraft involved in the collision were operated by Endeavor Air. Both were CRJ-900 planes, which can seat between 70 to 90 passengers. The FAA and NTSB are jointly investigating the incident.
LaGuardia Airport is one of 35 major airports equipped with advanced surface radar systems that track aircraft and vehicles on the ground, alerting controllers to potential conflicts. It remains unclear what role this system played in the collision.
Guzzetti said he is unsure whether the system would have sounded an audible alarm during the taxiway incident, noting that the primary purpose of the system is to prevent collisions on runways.
Following the collision, passengers on both planes were provided meals and hotel accommodations and were rebooked on flights departing on Thursday.
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Associated Press writers Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, Hallie Golden in Seattle, and Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland, contributed to this report.
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