On Thursday, several US lawmakers were aboard an aircraft waiting to take off at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) when another plane “bumped” into its wing.
Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., stated on X that no one onboard was injured.
“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,” said LaLota.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed in a preliminary statement that the wingtip of American Airlines Flight 5490 collided with American Airlines Flight 4522 on a taxiway at DCA around 12:45 p.m. local time.
American Airlines confirmed the incident, saying, “Safety is our top priority, and we apologize to our customers for their experience.”
The wing clip involved two planes: a Bombardier CRJ 900 carrying 76 passengers and four crew members to Charleston International Airport in South Carolina, and an Embraer E175 carrying 67 customers and four crew members to JFK International Airport in New York.
American Airlines said the planes were taken out of service and inspected by maintenance teams. According to the airline, the damage was limited to each aircraft’s winglet.
The Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority confirmed the incident in a statement.
“There is no effect on flight operations at Reagan National Airport, as both aircraft have returned to gates and no injuries were reported,” according to a statement.
According to LaLota, Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., was also on board the plane and was handing out snacks to passengers as they waited to return to the gate.
“I’m glad my colleagues and I are okay! We are safely waiting on the runway, but we may require additional snacks,” Meng wrote in her own post on X. “I’m grateful no one was hurt today, but this incident underscores this urgent need [to] restore all FAA jobs that keep our runways safe.”
Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., was also on board when a second plane appeared to clip its wing.
“While waiting to take off on the runway at DCA just now, another plane struck our wing,” Gottheimer recounted. “Thankfully, everyone is safe.”
The Democrat went on to say, “Just a reminder: Recent FAA cuts weaken our skies and public safety.”
The FAA stated that it will investigate the incident.
