Passenger describes impact after 2 Delta regional jets collide at LaGuardia
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Two Delta Air Lines regional jets collided at low speeds while taxiing Wednesday evening at LaGuardia Airport, according to the airline.
Endeavor flight 5155 was taxiing for departure when its wing made contact with the fuselage of Endeavor flight 5047 as it was taxiing to its gate after arriving, the airline said when releasing preliminary information.
"Their right wing clipped our nose and the cockpit we have damage to our windscreen and ... some of our screens in here," a pilot can be heard saying on the Air Traffic Control audio.
Delta said a flight attendant suffered a minor injury and no passenger injuries were reported. The flight attendant was transported to a nearby hospital out of precaution, according to Port Authority.
One passenger told Eyewitness News what they experienced Wednesday night.
"It wasn't too big of a hit for us, but I was assuming the passengers on the other plane, especially passengers on the window side, because we got most of their wing on that plane, it would have been a pretty big hit for them and our pilot, the window was shattered," said passenger Nate Cicero. "Yeah, I believe it was just not expecting another plane to be there, maybe a miscommunication with air traffic control."
The collision took place around 9:56 p.m., and there was no impact to airport operations, the Port Authority said.
"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. 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," Delta said in a statement.
Delta said it will cooperate with the Port Authority, Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board in their investigations.
The collision happened in the first 24 hours of the government shutdown that had disrupted federal services.
Air traffic controllers are working through the shutdown because they are considered essential workers.
The spending disagreement is not expected to have an immediate effect on air travel.
(Some information from ABC News' Sam Sweeney)
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
