Delta jets have 'low-speed collision' on LaGuardia taxiway, injuring 1

Two flights operated by a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines were involved in a "low-speed collision" on a taxiway Wednesday evening at LaGuardia Airport, leaving both planes damaged and a flight attendant transported to a hospital, the airline and the Port Authority said Thursday.

The jets involved were Endeavor Air Flight 5155, carrying two pilots, two flight attendants and 28 passengers, and Endeavor Air Flight 5047, carrying two pilots, two flight attendants and 57 passengers, Delta said.

Both flights involved Canadair CRJ-900 regional jets.

According to Delta, Flight 5155 was taxiing for departure to Roanoke, Virginia, when its wingtip collided with the fuselage of Flight 5407, which was taxiing to its gate at LaGuardia after arriving from Charlotte, North Carolina.

The incident occurred about 9:58 p.m., the Port Authority said. 

According to the FAA, the collision occurred near the intersection of Taxiways A and M. Both taxiways are to the south and east of the two runways at LaGuardia, between those runways and the terminal area.

On Thursday, The Associated Press reported the National Transportation Safety Board had sent a team of 10 investigators to LaGuardia and that flight recorders had been recovered from both jets. Those recorders were sent to NTSB headquarters in Washington, D.C., for analysis, according to the report.

The AP also reported that, according to a statement from the FAA, air traffic control at LaGuardia had instructed the outbound flight “to hold short and yield to the other aircraft” before the collision. The FAA did not immediately respond to multiple inquiries from Newsday seeking comment.

According to an air traffic control audio recording of the incident, one pilot could be heard telling a controller: "Their right wing clipped our nose and the cockpit," adding: "We have damage to our windscreen and ... some of our screens in here."

Flight 5155 suffered right wing damage, while Flight 5047 suffered damage to the nose cone and windshield. 

Former NTSB and FAA crash investigator Jeff Guzzetti told the AP it's the job of the airport ground traffic controller to line up planes on taxiways. He said while that controller directs aircraft where to go, pilots are expected to avoid other planes as they move along taxiways and ramps to and from the gates.

“You’re supposed to have situational awareness about where your wings are poking out at and what they could hit as you’re taxiing,” Guzzetti, who is now an aviation safety consultant, told the AP. “They [controllers] expect the flight crews to see each other since they’re taxiing at a slow speed. And the controller's main function is to make sure the runway is clear for takeoff and landings.”

Guzzetti also told AP planes typically turn off nose lights while taxiing, which may have made it more difficult for the pilots to see the exact location and distance between the aircraft involved in the collision. Taxi lights are located on the wings, Guzzetti said. AP also reported that while landing lights are used to improve visibility, the FAA encourages pilots to use them cautiously because landing lights can impair night vision.

Delta identified the injured person as a flight attendant who suffered a non-life-threatening injury.

That person was transported to a hospital as a precaution. Delta did not specify which flight that attendant was working on, though the FAA incident report identified the crew member as being aboard Flight 5155, the flight departing for Roanoke.

Delta said there were no reported injuries to customers.

Passengers exited the planes on the taxiway and were transferred via buses back to the terminal, and there was no impact to airport operations, Delta said. Passengers on the departing planes were rebooked on another flight, Delta said.

The incident is the latest in a series of notable near-miss incidents both in New York-controlled airspace — and on the ground at Kennedy and LaGuardia.

Just two weeks ago, the crew of a Spirit Airlines flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Boston was issued urgent instructions from a New York-based air traffic controller when the flight over Long Island came within proximity to Air Force One, carrying President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump to London's Stansted Airport.

The FAA said the Spirit A321 came within 10 miles of the presidential plane, an air traffic controller ordering the Spirit crew to immediately change course — berating them, saying: "Pay attention! Get off the iPad!"

In May, the National Transportation Safety Board said a Republic Airways flight was forced to abort takeoff at LaGuardia when controllers realized a United Airlines flight was still taxiing on the runway.

In April 2024, Swiss Air Flight 17k, an A330 lining up for departure from Kennedy en route to Zurich was forced to abort its takeoff when the NTSB said controllers realized four other flights — a Delta Boeing 767, a Delta A220, a Republic Airways Embraer 175 and an American Airlines Boeing 737 — all had been cleared to cross the takeoff runway, 4L.

And, the NTSB said that in January 2023, a Delta Boeing 737 was forced to abort a takeoff run after an American Airlines Boing 777-200 crossed its path on the tarmac at Kennedy.

Newsday's Maureen Mullarkey contributed to this story.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”