Uh oh. Looks like the kids are fighting again.
On Tuesday September 10, a Delta Airbus A350 came into contact with a Delta Connection CRJ-900 in Atlanta, completely tearing the tail section of the smaller regional jet. The incident which took place at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport involved the following aircraft:
- Endeavor Air-operated Delta Connection Bombardier CRJ-900 – registered N302PQ, operating flight DL5526 from Atlanta (ATL) to Lafayette (LFT)
- Delta Air Lines Airbus A350-900 – registered N503ND, operating flight DL295 from Atlanta (ATL) to Tokyo (HND)
According the ADS-B data, the Delta Connection CRJ-900 was holding short of runway 8 Right on taxiway H, while the Delta Airbus A350 was taxiing via taxiway E. The right wing of the A350 came into contact with the smaller CRJ, completely tearing off the tail section.
Credit: Flightradar24In an official statement, Delta Air Lines confirmed the same, saying:
“At approximately 10:07 a.m., the wing of an Airbus A350 taxiing out as DL295 from Atlanta to Tokyo-Haneda made contact with the tail of an Endeavor Air CRJ-900, DL5526 to LaFayette, Louisiana, on an adjacent taxiway, resulting in damage to the tail of the regional jet and the wing of the A350.
“There have been no reported injuries at this time and customers are being transported back to the terminal where they will be reaccommodated on alternate flights.
“There were 221 customers on DL295 and 56 customers on DL5526. At this time, no additional operational adjustments are expected.
“Delta is cooperating with the NTSB and other authorities on this incident.”
Thankfully no one on either aircraft was injured, and airport operations were minimally impacted. Runway 8 Right remained open with only that small section on taxiway H being cordoned off. Aircraft planning to use runway 8 Right have snake around to the other size via taxiway V until all debris is cleared.
Passengers on board the Delta Connection regional jet were bussed to the terminal, while the A350 was able to taxi back to the gate under its own power.
As mentioned, investigations are being conducted, however the below aerial photo stood out to me. It appears the CRJ was holding short too far from the hold short line. Given that the CRJ-900 is not exactly a short aircraft, it’s not surprising to see how this could have occurred given the wingspan of the much wider A350.
Maybe the controllers should have had the Airbus taxi on the parallel Taxiway F instead? I’ll let the authorities decide who is right and wrong.
Here are a few photos and videos of the incident.
