Two Delta Air Lines regional jets collided on a taxiway at LaGuardia Airport on Wednesday night, tearing off part of one plane’s wing and shattering the cockpit windshield of the other.
One flight attendant was injured, but no passengers were harmed in the incident.
The collision occurred just before 10 p.m. when the wing of Endeavor Air Flight 5155, a CRJ-900 carrying 28 passengers and preparing to depart for Roanoke, Virginia, struck the nose of Endeavor Air Flight 5047, which had just arrived from Charlotte, North Carolina, with 57 passengers onboard, according to Delta Air Lines.
“Their right wing clipped our nose and the cockpit. We have damage to our windscreen and… some of our screens in here,” the pilot of Flight 5047 reported in air traffic control audio, per the New York Post.
Photos from the scene showed a shattered windshield and a damaged nose on one jet, with a large section of the other plane’s wing torn off.
“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,” said Joey Annunziato, a CBS News producer on the Charlotte flight, in a video recorded moments after the impact. “Everyone shot forward in their seats, and it was kind of a little chaotic as soon as it happened. We were shocked at what happened.”
Passenger William Lusk, also on the Charlotte flight, described the moment to ABC: “Everyone went dead silent. And as everyone went dead silent, the pilot calmly came on and said, ‘Hey, we’ve been in a crash, everyone remain calm.’”
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates LaGuardia, reported that one flight attendant sustained a non-life-threatening knee injury and was taken to a hospital. Emergency vehicles rushed to the scene, as captured in photos and videos posted on social media.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the incident occurred at the intersection of taxiways M and A, noting that air traffic control had instructed Flight 5155 to wait and yield to the other aircraft. The FAA is investigating the cause of the collision, which remains unclear.
Delta Air Lines, which owns Endeavor Air, issued a statement apologizing to passengers and confirming cooperation with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.
“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,” the airline said, per the New York Post. “Delta will work with all relevant authorities to review what occurred as the safety of our customers and people comes before all else.”
Passengers from both flights were bused to the terminal and provided hotel accommodations and meals, with rebookings arranged for Thursday, Delta said. The Port Authority confirmed that airport operations were unaffected by the incident.
The collision occurred within the first 24 hours of a government shutdown that has disrupted federal services, including the furlough of some Federal Aviation Administration staff. While air traffic controllers are considered essential and continue to work without pay, airlines have warned that the shutdown could strain aviation operations.
It was not immediately clear if staffing levels at LaGuardia contributed to the incident.