Summary
- A Delta A350 struck a CRJ-900 in Atlanta, causing significant damage but no injuries.
- The incident occurred during taxi, affecting Delta flights to Tokyo and Lafayette.
- The A350 involved has returned to the gate; this is not the first A350 incident this year.
Earlier this morning, shortly after 10:00 AM local time, a
Delta Air Lines
Airbus A350 was taxiing out of the gate at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) when its wing struck a CRJ-900 regional jet aircraft. The smaller plane, owned by regional subcontractor Endeavor Air, was operating a Delta Connection flight when the incident occurred.
The Airbus A350 was preparing to depart for Tokyo-Haneda International Airport (HND) as Delta Flight 295 when the incident occurred, which resulted in significant damage to the aircraft’s wing. The smaller plane, which was sitting on an adjacent taxiway when the incident occurred, was providing service to Lafayette Regional Airport (LFT) as Delta Flight 5526 when the incident occurred.
The accident resulted in significant damage to the small regional jet, which lost its entire tail as a result of the accident. According to a press release from the airline, no injuries resulted from the collision, and passengers onboard both planes were quickly brought back to the terminal.
The carrier noted that all affected customers, of which there were 221 onboard the flight to Tokyo and 56 on the flight to Lafayette, would be quickly rebooked onto alternative flight itineraries. The carrier has indicated that it will be cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board during this investigation.
How did this incident occur?
The incident, which took place today at exactly 10:10 AM, occurred when the Airbus A350 backed out of gate E14 at the primary international concourse at Atlanta Airport. At roughly the same time, a CRJ-900 regional jet which was preparing to take off was taxiing on an adjacent taxiway, shortly after backing out of gate C30.
Despite the incident causing significant damage, fortunately, no injuries were reported as a result of the collision occurring only between aircraft extremities, the wing, and the tail section. After the incident occurred, the passengers onboard the CRJ-900 were quickly deplaned and returned to the terminal on a bus.
The Airbus A350 was, according to reports from ABC News, able to return to its gate based on its power. Both flights were immediately canceled following the collision, with the carrier electing to operate a new service to Lafayette a couple of hours later.
This replacement flight was originally scheduled for around 11:30 AM. However, it has yet to take off and is currently expected to depart late at 5:30 PM local time. Passengers headed to Tokyo were accommodated onto other flights. In a statement, Delta had the following words to share:
“Delta worked with each customer from flights DL295 to Tokyo-Haneda and DL5526 to Lafayette, Louisiana, to provide accommodation on alternate aircraft scheduled to depart Tuesday afternoon. We apologize to our customers for the experience.”
Not the first A350 incident to occur this year
Today’s incident does not mark the first time that an Airbus A350 has made the news this year due to an on-the-ground safety-related accident. At the beginning of the year, a Japan Airlines A350 was destroyed following a collision with a Japanese Coast Guard Aircraft (although fatalities did not result onboard the commercial jet).
Photo: viper-zero | Shutterstock
Later on in April, a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A350 was prevented from taking off after a vehicle was wedged underneath its engine. So far, however, no fatalities have been reported as a result of A350 safety incidents.