A Delta Air Lines jet clipped an Air Canada plane on a taxiway at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday morning, and both airlines say no one was hurt.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it is investigating the contact, which happened at about 10:30 a.m. local time. Delta Flight 7, an Airbus A350, was taxiing for departure to Tokyo Haneda when its left wingtip clipped the horizontal stabilizer of Air Canada Flight 785, a Boeing 777 that had arrived from Toronto. The FAA said the Air Canada plane was being towed and had stopped short of its gate.
Delta said 275 customers and 15 crew members were on its aircraft. “While taxiing at Los Angeles International Airport, a Delta aircraft made contact with an Air Canada aircraft,” the airline said. “Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, and we apologize to our customers for the experience and delay in their travels.” Delta said maintenance crews were assessing the jet and that it would cooperate with the NTSB.
Air Canada said the other aircraft made contact with its tail while the plane was being towed to the gate. The airline said the jet will be taken out of service for inspection and repairs. LAX said flights continued to operate as usual.
Ground collisions like this rarely injure passengers, but they can ground both aircraft for days and scramble connections. Tokyo and Toronto banks are among the flights most exposed to a delay at LAX on a Tuesday morning.
Send a tip or correction to info@heritageheadlines.com, or use the contact page.
