Summary

  • Two Delta Air Lines flights were delayed after coming in contact with each other on Saturday night.
  • A Boeing 737-900ER’s wingtip hit the tail of an Airbus A320 in Salt Lake City.
  • Replacement aircraft were deployed but did not reach their destinations until the next day.

A pair of Delta Air Lines flights were significantly delayed over the weekend after a Boeing 737-900ER came in contact with an Airbus A320 at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). It is believed that the 737’s left winglet clipped the A320’s while it was awaiting takeoff.

Both flights were scheduled to depart from SLC in the evening, but the incident delayed them overnight as Delta worked to deploy replacement aircraft. The flights did not reach their destinations until more than 11 hours after their original scheduled arrival time.

Details of the accident

Salt Lake City CBS local affiliate KUTV reported on Sunday afternoon that two Delta aircraft were involved in an incident on Saturday night. The 737-900ER – registered as N853DN – was operating as DL2046 enroute to Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN), while the A320 – registered as N361NW – was headed to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) as DL2677. According to data from Flightradar24, DL2677 was scheduled to depart from gate A23 on Saturday around 21:10, but it was delayed about an hour and did not pushback until 22:00. DL2046 had a scheduled departure time of 22:15 from gate A9 and left early at around 22:05.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-932/ER (N889DN) at Salt Lake City International Airport.

Photo: JHVEPhoto | Shutterstock

The two aircraft taxied to Runway 16L for a southbound departure. Once they arrived, they waited in line for takeoff. N361NW was in front of N853DN, but both planes were behind N145DQ, an A220-100s headed to John Wayne Airport (SNA) as DL1304. According to air traffic control (ATC) audio obtained by SLC Scanner, DL1304 was holding short at the runway as the wind conditions were unfavorable for takeoff.

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However, the pilots in command of DL2046 notified SLC tower that the winds did not seem to be an issue for them. They said they could access Runway 16L via taxiway H12.

“Tower, Delta 2046, we have number for a H12 departure if able.”

A controller responded, “that’s fine,” but double-checked with the pilots to confirm that they had access to the runway. DL2677 was still behind DL1304, but it was situated just past taxiway H12.

“We can get in there, Delta 2046,” the pilot said.

“I think you may have bumped into Delta 2677”

SLC tower then cleared DL2046 for departure from Runway 16L and instructed the pilots to “turn right” once airborne. As they proceeded to the runway, N853DN’s left winglet came in contact with the back of N361NW, which prompted the pilots of DL2677 to signal ATC.

“And Delta taking H12, I think you may have bumped into Delta 2677.”

The DL2046 pilot then explained, “Affirmative, I think I did…Yup, I can see it on the sharkfin.”

Delta Air Lines flights at Salt Lake City International Airport. July 27, 2024.

Photo: Flightradar24

SLC tower then interceded and asked DL2677 to pull forward a few feet, but the pilots were unsure if they had enough clearance from DL2046.

“2046, do we have clearance with you guys?” they asked.

The pilot of DL2046 responded, “I can’t, I can’t see other than it looks like my sharkfin might have hit your tail there.”

DL1304, which had been waiting in front of both aircraft witnessed the incident unfold. The pilots in command signaled all parties involved.

“Hey, sorry about it, guys. It’s 1304, we got a good view. Yeah, that is what happened.”

Returning to the gate

Both N853DN and N361NW had to return to the terminal, and the passengers disembarked. DL2046 had 109 passengers onboard, while there were 131 passengers onboard DL2677, according to KUTV. No injuries were reported, and the planes were removed from service.

Delta deployed N129DU, another A220-100, as the replacement aircraft for DL2046. However, it did not depart SLC until Sunday at 13:45. According to FlightAware, it arrived at BZN at 14:43, resulting in a 15-hour and 35-minute delay. The replacement for DL2677 was an A319, registered as N320NB. The aircraft also left SLC on Sunday, departing around 09:30. It landed at DFW around 12:30 – nearly 12 hours after its original scheduled arrival time.

The extent of damage on N853DN and N361NW was not made available. Additionally, the status of the pilots and whether there was any disciplinary action is unclear. Simple Flying contacted Delta for comment on the incident, but a representative could not be immediately reached.

Delta has been reeling from intense scrutiny following its operational meltdown earlier this month, which was related to a faulty CrowdStrike update that affected Microsoft Windows systems worldwide. The Atlanta-based carrier is under federal investigation after suffering severe complications that led to the cancelation of more than 5,000 flights.

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