Two regional jets operated by American Airlines touched wingtips on 10 April on a taxiway at Ronald Reagan National airport in Washington, DC.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirms that an American Eagle branded MHIRJ CRJ900 operating as American flight 5490 to Charleston made contact with one of the carrier’s Embraer E175s while both aircraft were on the taxiway.
The E175, operating as flight 4522 to John F Kennedy International airport in New York, was reportedly stationary when it was struck by the CRJ900.
Damage is reportedly limited to the winglets of both aircraft.
The aircraft touched wingtips at about 12:45 local time, in what one passenger – New York Congressman Adriano Espaillat – described as “minor incident” in a social media post.
Espaillat says several US lawmakers were on the flight.
The FAA says it is investigating the incident, which resulted in both aircraft taxiing back to the terminal. No passengers were injured.
The aviation community and flying public are on high alert for conflicts at congested Reagan National, which was the scene of the mid-air collision between a regional jet and military helicopter that killed 67 people in late January.
