Delta Air Lines regional jets crash during low-speed taxiway at At LaGuardia, New York’s busy airport, NTSB launches probe into the cause of the accident.
A collision between two Delta Air Lines regional jets at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Wednesday night has left one crew member injured and prompted a federal investigation.
The incident occurred around 10 p.m. Eastern Time Zone (ET) at the intersection of two taxiways, when the wing of a departing aircraft clipped the nose of another jet that had just arrived. Both planes, operated by Delta’s regional carrier Endeavor Air, were CRJ-900 aircraft, according to airport officials.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said a team of 10 investigators has been dispatched to the Queens hub. Flight data recorders from both jets have already been recovered and sent to Washington for analysis. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is conducting a parallel investigation.
Delta said the accident involved Endeavor Air Flight 5155, bound for Roanoke, Virginia, with 28 passengers and four crew on board, and Endeavor Air Flight 5047, arriving from Charlotte, North Carolina, carrying 57 passengers and four crew. The departing flight’s wing struck the arriving plane’s nose and windscreen.
Read Also: Delta Airlines To Resume Direct Lagos-New York Flights
One flight attendant sustained injuries and was treated following the impact, officials confirmed. Passengers from both aircraft disembarked safely, and no additional injuries were reported. Delta said all customers were accommodated on alternative flights.
Damage to the two jets was described as significant but localized, with one suffering wing damage and the other damage to its nose section. Authorities have not disclosed the taxiing speeds at the time of impact but said initial assessments suggest speed was not a contributing factor.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages LaGuardia, confirmed the airport remained fully operational after the incident. However, the collision underscores the complexity and risks of ground operations at one of the busiest urban airports in the United States.
In a statement, the FAA said that air traffic control had instructed Flight 5155 to hold short and yield to the arriving aircraft. Why that instruction was not followed is part of the ongoing investigation.
Delta issued an apology to customers affected by the disruption and said it is cooperating fully with federal authorities.
The probe is expected to focus on communication between air traffic control and the pilots, as well as operational procedures on crowded taxiways at LaGuardia, where space constraints make ground movements particularly challenging.
