Delta Air Lines says the incident caused the tail of the smaller regional aircraft to be sheared off after colliding with an Airbus A350 bound for Japan.

 

Collision Happens as Smaller Jet Rolls on Adjacent Taxiway

According to the airline, the incident took place around 10:00 a.m. at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). The Airbus A350 was departing Atlanta for Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND), while the Bombardier CRJ-900 regional jet was bound for Lafayette Regional Airport (LFT) in Louisiana.

 

There were 221 flyers aboard the A350, and 56 aboard the CRJ-900. There were no injuries aboard either flight. Other aviation operations at the airport were not affected by the incident. The airline says travelers on both aircraft were accommodated on other aircraft later in the day. Both aircraft are currently in Delta hangars for evaluation.

 

Reuters reports that the incident will be reviewed by both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. Delta says they are cooperating with the NTSB “and other authorities” investigating the collision.

 

The incident happens as the industry is working to prevent collisions and near-miss incidents at airports across the country. According to Reuters, FAA administrator Mike Whitaker touted new technologies earlier in the day that could provide alerts if aircraft were on a wrong runway or taxiway, potentially preventing incidents on the ground.

 

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Source: frugal travel guy