Delta plane clips Air Canada jet on tarmac at Los Angeles airport
The incident occurred as the Delta aircraft was taxiing and the Air Canada jet was being towed to a gate.
LOS ANGELES · The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after a Delta Air Lines plane clipped an Air Canada aircraft on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday. The incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. local time as the Delta plane was taxiing for departure and the Air Canada jet was being towed toward a gate. An Air Canada spokesperson said there were no reported injuries. The FAA said the Delta plane's left wingtip clipped the Air Canada aircraft's horizontal stabilizer, a wing-like structure at the tail.
Air Canada spokesperson Sean Davidson said in a statement that Flight 785 had arrived from Toronto before "an aircraft operated by another airline made contact with its tail." He said the plane, a Boeing 777, will be taken out of service for inspection and repairs. Delta confirmed the incident in a statement. "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," the Atlanta-based airline said.
Delta said there were no reported injuries among the 275 passengers and 15 crew on its Airbus A350-900, which was heading to Tokyo. Those passengers were moved to another aircraft. Delta said its maintenance crews are assessing the Airbus for damage. In audio captured by ATC.com, the Air Canada pilot asked a ground controller, "We just felt a shudder there. Is everything looking ok?" The Delta pilot later told the controller he did not know if the controller could see the issue from his position. Photos posted on social media showed minor damage to the wingtip and tail of the aircraft. Firefighters checking the planes did not find any problems, according to the audio. The FAA's investigation is ongoing.
With files from CBC News, The Globe and Mail and CityNews