April 10 (UPI) — The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating why two American Airlines regional jets touched wings at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., Thursday.
No injuries were reported in the mishap when, at 12:45 p.m. EDT, the wingtip of American Airlines Flight 5490, bound for Charleston, S.C., bumped the winglet — an aerodynamic fixture that rises up from the end of the wing — on American Airlines flight 4522, which was scheduled to depart for JFK.
“BlueStreak 5490, did we hit the aircraft next to us?” The pilot can be heard on LiveATC.net asking the air traffic control tower whether the places had touched.
“We think we might have hit the Embraer 175 short of runway 19,” the pilot continued. “We just heard a loud, like a boom, like a thunk, before we took the runaway.”
An air traffic controller responds that he can see part of the winglets on the ground near flight 4522, CNN reported.
Both planes returned to their gates. No injuries were reported, according to ABC News. There were at least six members of the U.S. House onboard flight 4522.
“Serving in Congress has come with some once in a lifetime experiences … like just now while stationary on the runway at DCA, another plane just bumped into our wing,” Rep. Nick LaLota, R-Long Island posted on social media. “Heading back to the gate, but thankfully everyone is ok!”
Other members of Congress were less light-hearted about the incident. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J. used the opportunity to oppose cuts to air traffic control operations.
“Just a reminder:”, Gottheimer wrote on social media. “Recent cuts to the FAA weaken our skies and public safety.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy responded to Gottheimer’s post with one of his own defending the agency.
“Glad to hear everyone on board is safe,” Duffy wrote on X. “But stop the fear mongering and let’s stick to the facts. No safety-critical positions at the FAA have been cut.”
The incident Thursday is the latest in a series of relatively minor aviation accidents and mishaps across the country, but occurred at the same airport where, on January 29, a Sikorsky H-60 military helicopter crashed broadside into American Eagle flight 5342, a regional jet carrying 67 passengers and crew from Wichita, Kan. to Washington D.C. There were no survivors.
