Delta Flight Bound for Tokyo Clips Smaller Plane on Atlanta Runway

Rudy Blalock
By Rudy Blalock
September 10, 2024US News
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Delta Flight Bound for Tokyo Clips Smaller Plane on Atlanta Runway
A plane sits damaged at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after colliding with another plane on a taxiway, on Sept. 10, 2024. (WSB via AP)

A Delta Air Lines Flight bound for Tokyo clipped the tail of a smaller plane at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport while taxiing for departure Tuesday morning, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) .

Delta said in their own statement the incident occurred after the wing of an Airbus A350—a larger plane used for international trips—clipped the tail of Endeavor Air Flight 5526, which was bound for Lafayette, Louisiana. Passengers of both flights will be accommodated with alternate flights leaving later Tuesday afternoon, according to the airline.

There were no reported injuries among passengers or crew, airline officials said. Home to Delta’s headquarters, the world’s busiest airport will continue as usual despite the hiccup this morning, they noted.

Airline officials will cooperate with the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA to investigate the cause. There were 221 customers aboard Flight 295 headed to Tokyo and 56 aboard Flight 5526, according to Delta.

“We apologize to our customers for the experience,” they said in the statement.

Jason Adams, a meteorologist for WTFS-TV in Tampa, an ABC-affiliated TV station, was aboard the plane headed for Louisiana at the time of the collision.

“Well that was terrifying,” he said in a social media post. “Taxiing out for the flight from Atlanta to Louisiana and another plane appears to have clipped the back of our plane. Very jarring, metal scraping sounds then loud bangs. We’re fine. No fire or smoke.”

A spokesperson for Delta did not return a request for comment before publication.