Two Delta Air Lines regional jets collided Wednesday night on a taxiway at New York's LaGuardia Airport, shattering cockpit windows on one plane and sending a flight attendant to the hospital in an incident now under investigation by federal authorities.
The collision, described by Delta as a "low-speed" event, occurred at the intersection of taxiways M and A shortly after 9 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Both aircraft were CRJ-900s operated by Endeavor Air for Delta Connection.
One plane, Flight 5047 from Charlotte with 61 passengers onboard, had just arrived when the wing of Flight 5155, preparing for departure to Roanoke with 32 passengers, struck its nose. "Their right wing clipped our nose and the cockpit wind screens," the pilot of Flight 5047 radioed to controllers, in audio published by LiveATC.net.
Passengers recalled the sudden jolt. "Our pilot slammed on the brakes, but unfortunately, we t-boned the other plane," Nate Cicero told WABC. Another traveler, William Lusk, described the moment to ABC: "The plane that had landed stopped, jerked, and jumped to the right. Everyone went dead silent. And as everyone went dead silent, the pilot calmly came on and said, 'Hey, we've been in a crash, everyone remain calm.'"
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed one person, a flight attendant, was hospitalized after injuring her knee. No passengers were seriously hurt. Delta said all passengers were transported by bus back to the terminal, provided with meals and hotel accommodations, and rebooked on Thursday flights.
The FAA noted that air traffic control had instructed Flight 5155 to hold short and yield before crossing, raising questions about situational awareness in the cockpit. Aviation safety consultant and former NTSB investigator Jeff Guzzetti said such incidents are rare but preventable. "You're supposed to have situational awareness about where your wings are poking out at and what they could hit as you're taxiing," he said. "Controllers expect the flight crews to see each other since they're taxiing at a slow speed."
The National Transportation Safety Board dispatched a team of 10 investigators to the airport. NTSB spokesman Eric Weiss said both flight recorders were recovered and transferred to Washington for analysis. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days, with a full investigation likely taking more than a year.
Images from the scene showed one plane with a gouged nose and shattered cockpit glass, while the other had significant wing damage. The Port Authority said airport operations continued without disruption.
LaGuardia is among 35 major airports with advanced surface radar systems designed to prevent ground collisions, though experts said it remains unclear whether the system detected the incident. "Because this happened at night and planes typically turn off their nose lights while taxiing, it may have been more difficult for the pilots to see exactly where the other plane was," Guzzetti explained.
