Summary
- An unfortunate incident involved damage to Delta Air Lines and Spirit Airlines aircraft in Cleveland.
- Both planes have been taken out of service for inspections due to the contact between the two aircraft.
- The incident caused multi-hour delays to Delta’s flights and the cancelation of Spirit’s flight.
A Boeing 737-900ER operated by Delta Air Lines came in contact with a Spirit Airlines Airbus A321neo at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) on Sunday. The incident caused the Delta subsequent flight to be delayed nearly five hours, while the Spirit flight was canceled.
Both aircraft have reportedly been removed from service and remain at CLE. It comes as ground incidents involving aircraft have skyrocketed this year.
Details of the incident
The mishap involved NK655 and DL2577, happening Sunday evening around 19:00. According to data from FlightAware, the aircraft operating NK655 was N703NK, and was preparing to depart for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) from gate A1 at 18:34. N831DN was the aircraft operating DAL2577, and had landed from Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) at 18:48. Flight data indicates that N831DN arrived at gate B2 at 18:54 – suggesting the 737-900ER hit the A321neo moments before during its taxi to the gate.
A Spirit representative confirmed the incident to Simple Flying, saying “the wingtip” of another aircraft made contact with its jet, which was boarding at the time.
“Spirit Airlines flight 655 (CLE-LAX) was parked at the gate in Cleveland (CLE) and in the process of boarding when the wing tip of another airline’s aircraft made contact with our aircraft.”
Photo: Spirit Airlines
Delta also confirmed that its 737-900ER wingtip hit the Spirit aircraft.
“Delta teams worked to reaccommodate customers to their final destinations after the wingtip from Delta flight DL2577 made contact with a parked aircraft at CLE. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”
Check It Out
The World’s Longest Embraer E175 Flight? United Airlines Will Resume Service Between Washington Dulles & Bozeman
The Chicago-based carrier is no stranger to deploying regional aircraft on lengthy flights.
No injuries were reported. Delta said there were 180 passengers on DL2577, but it is unclear how many were on NK655. However, the passengers onboard the A321neo had to exit the aircraft.
“Guests deplaned normally through the jet bridge, and no injuries to Spirit Guests or Team Members were reported,” the Spirit representative explained.
Ripple effect
DL2577 was a Cleveland turn, meaning N831DN was due to fly back to ATL. However, Delta removed the aircraft from service for inspections and deployed a replacement aircraft to continue the flight, resulting in a multi-hour delay. According to flight data, N910DU, another 737-900ER, arrived at CLE from Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport (MSP) as DL488 at 23:29. It was originally scheduled to operate as DL1535 back to MSP on Monday at 07:10, but Delta quickly prepared it to continue DL2577. The aircraft departed CLE at 00:51 and arrived at ATL at 02:20, which was four hours and 36 minutes past the flight’s scheduled arrival time of 21:12 on Sunday.
Photo: Joe Kunzler | Simple Flying
DL1535 was also delayed on Monday, as Delta also had to find another aircraft to operate the flight. The airline ferried N912DU, a third 737-900ER, from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to CLE. It landed at 09:40 and then departed as DL1535 to MSP at 10:30 – three hours and 20 minutes after its scheduled departure time.
Making “alternate travel arrangements”
Spirit also removed N703NK from service, but it was unable to deploy a replacement aircraft for NK655 and canceled the flight. However, the airline said it “reaccommodated” its affected passengers.
“Safety is our top priority, and the aircraft was removed from service to be thoroughly inspected by our maintenance team,” the airline’s representative said. “We reaccommodated our Guests with alternate travel arrangements.”
The extent of the damage on N703NK and N831DN is unclear, but they will likely remain out of service for days. Ground incidents, which are expensive and most often avoidable, have been on the rise. Simple Flying has reported at least six incidents so far this year, involving aircraft from American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Austrian Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines.
Read Next
Ouch: Austrian Airlines Airbus A320neo Stabilizer Breaks Off After Hitting Jet Bridge In Vienna
Depending on the severity, ground damage incidents can cost airlines as much as $100,000.