Two American Airlines jets were involved in a wingtip collision on a taxiway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Thursday, April 10, at approximately 12:45 PM local time. American Eagle Flight 5490 flight, a Bombardier CRJ 900, prepared for takeoff to Charleston International Airport in South Carolina. Meanwhile, Flight 4522, an Embraer E175, was readying for its departure to JFK International Airport in New York.
The wingtip of Flight 5490 that clipped Flight 4522 while both aircraft were on the ground. Fortunately, none of the passengers or crew members involved in this derailment suffered serious injuries. American Airlines can’t change the fact that 76 customers were travelling on Flight 5490. In contrast, Flight 4522 had 67 paying passengers on board at the time of the incident.
The wingtip of American Airlines Flight 5490 struck American Airlines Flight 4522 on a taxiway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport around 12:45 PM local time on Thursday, April 10,” stated a representative from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
After the collision, both planes taxied back to their gates. American Airlines addressed the matter, stating, “Both aircraft taxied to the terminal and have been taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance teams.” The airline expressed regret over the situation, adding, “and we apologize to our customers for their experience.”
To its credit, the FAA has promised to look into the cause of the collision in greater depth. Nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport had to account for a reduction in passenger flight operations. The near miss of the event actually had no effect on their service.
This latest incident comes just three months after another, more serious crash near the same airport on January 29. In that tragedy, a soldier-laden Army helicopter crashed into a Thai Airways jetliner on approach to land, killing all sixty-seven individuals involved. These recent incidents have understandably heightened the overall concerns about aviation safety in the region.