Two Delta Air Lines planes collided on a taxiway at LaGuardia Airport, New York, on Wednesday night, October 1, leaving one crew member injured.
Delta described the crash at the airport as a “low-speed collision” involving two Endeavor Air flights: Flight 5047, which had just landed from Charlotte, North Carolina, and Flight 5155, which was preparing for departure to Roanoke, Virginia. Both flights were operated by Endeavor, a Delta subsidiary.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed the incident happened just before 10 p.m. at the intersection of Taxiways M and A of the airport. According to the FAA, Flight 5047 was taxiing to its gate when it struck Flight 5155, which had been instructed by air traffic control to hold position.
Preliminary findings show the wing of Flight 5155 struck the fuselage of Flight 5047. A flight attendant sustained a minor injury, was treated at the scene, and later transported to a hospital.
- Flight 5155 carried 28 passengers and four crew members.
- Flight 5047 carried 57 passengers and four crew members.
Passengers were evacuated from both aircraft and transferred via shuttle buses.
CBS News producer Joey Annunziato, who was aboard Flight 5047, recalled:
“It was a pretty violent collision… it almost sounded like a sardine can opening. We looked at the right side of the plane, and the wing looked like it was almost off the plane.”
Delta has apologized and promised full cooperation with investigators:
“Safety of our customers and people comes before all else. We apologize to our customers for the experience.”
The airline confirmed passengers would be provided hotel accommodations and rebooked onto new flights on Thursday.
