In the bustling chaos of New York's LaGuardia Airport, two Delta Air Lines regional jets slammed into each other on a taxiway Wednesday night, leaving one flight attendant with a minor injury and prompting a swift federal probe. The incident unfolded around 9 p.m., as one plane—bound for Roanoke, Virginia, with 32 passengers and crew aboard—was lining up for takeoff. It clipped the fuselage of another jet that had just touched down from Charlotte, North Carolina, carrying 61 people. Indeed, the collision was described by officials as low-speed, but the damage was anything but minor: the departing plane's right wing tore into the arriving aircraft's cockpit window, even shearing off part of the wing in the process.
Passengers on both flights felt the jolt suddenly, with some recounting how they were thrown forward in their seats. A flight attendant on the Charlotte arrival suffered cuts and bruises, but no other serious injuries were reported. Emergency crews rushed to the scene, and all travelers were safely deplaned right there on the taxiway before being bused back to Terminal C. Delta wasted no time offering accommodations, meals, and rebooked flights to those affected, though the disruption rippled through an already packed evening at LGA.
However, this wasn't just a bump in the night. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board jumped in immediately to investigate what went wrong on the ground at one of the country's most congested airports. Air traffic control audio captured the tense moments, with controllers alerting pilots to the proximity issue. Moreover, Delta emphasized its commitment to safety, stating it would review procedures alongside authorities. Yet, one can't help but wonder about the pressures of operating in such tight quarters—LaGuardia handles over 30 million passengers a year, after all, and ground incidents like this expose the razor-thin margins.
Footage circulating online showed the mangled aftermath: twisted metal, a detached wing section, and crews swarming the damaged jets under floodlights. The Port Authority, which runs the airport, confirmed no broader operational halts, but the event underscores ongoing concerns about taxiway congestion. As the planes are towed away for inspection, the focus shifts to preventing repeats of this unfortunate tangle.
In the end, while everyone walked away largely unscathed, such close calls on the tarmac invite a deeper look at how we keep the skies—and the ground beneath them—truly safe.