A Delta Air Lines Airbus A350 struck the tail of a regional jet while taxiing at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Tuesday, causing significant damage to both aircraft but no injuries, officials said.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the incident, which occurred at the intersection of two taxiways at approximately 10:10 am local time. The A350 was preparing for departure to Tokyo, while the Endeavor Air CRJ-900—a wholly owned Delta subsidiary—was scheduled to fly to Lafayette, Louisiana.
The collision severely damaged the tail of the regional jet and also damaged the wing of the Airbus. There were 221 passengers on the A350 and 56 on the CRJ-900; none reported injuries.
This incident adds to a series of near-miss events in US aviation, which have raised concerns about safety and air traffic control staffing. The NTSB has called for technological improvements to prevent collisions.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker told an industry conference on Tuesday that the agency had deployed “off-the-shelf solutions” to alert controllers when aircraft are on the wrong runway or taxiway. He noted that close calls were down more than half in the first half of the year, but added: “There’s no excuse for that happening.”
