A pair of Delta commuter planes collided on a taxiway at New York's LaGuardia Airport Wednesday night, reports CBS News. Flight 5047 had just arrived from Charlotte, North Carolina, and was taxiing to the gate. Meanwhile, Flight 5155 was taxiing to a runway for departure to Roanoke, Virginia. Air traffic controllers had told Flight 5155 to stop and yield to Flight 5047 at the intersection of taxiways M and A, but instead, Flight 5155's wing hit the nose of Flight 5047, damaging the nose and shattering cockpit windows while shearing off part of the other plane's wing.
A CBS News producer was on board Flight 5047. His account of the incident:
"It was a pretty violent collision. At the time, we didn't really know like kind of what we hit," said CBS News producer Joey Annunziato. He said it sounded like a sardine can opening, "like something was being sheared off and, lo and behold, we looked at the right side of the plane, and the wing looked like it was almost like off the plane."
Delta Airlines has called this a "low-speed collision," which is true compared to how fast they go in the air. While the damage to the aircraft involved was extensive, only one injury has been reported. According to Simple Flying:
One flight attendant reportedly sustained a minor injury and was treated by first responders. The individual "was transported to an area hospital as a precautionary measure," according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), which owns and operates LGA.
All passengers were taken back to the terminal by bus and were provided with beverages and food, according to Delta. The airline also provided hotel rooms and meals, and will assist with rebookings on Thursday.
One person was injured, when two regional passenger jets operated by Delta Airlines, DL5155 and DL5047, collided earlier tonight while taxiing at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. pic.twitter.com/c3kWrfUvwA
This is not the first time in recent history that two Delta jets have collided with each other. Last year, a Delta Airbus A350 ripped the tail off another CRJ900 in Atlanta in another taxiway crash. Fortunately, no one was injured in that crash. LaGuardia, which you have called both one of the best and worst airports, has had its own share of problems. Back in May, an American Eagle Embraer E175 was incorrectly cleared to take off and had to abort and slam on the brakes when a United Airlines Boeing 737 taxied across the runway in front of it.
The problem remains that air traffic controllers are barely holding it together. They are understaffed, overworked, and underpaid, despite a shortened hiring process and trainee pay increase earlier this year. The latest government shutdown doesn't help, either. Air traffic controllers are considered essential personnel who are required to keep working but will not be paid until the government gets its financial act together. From a statement by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association:
Government shutdowns reduce the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace System (NAS) and erode the layers of safety that allow the flying public to arrive safely and on-time to their destinations. During a shutdown, critical safety support staff are furloughed, and support programs are suspended, making it difficult for air traffic controllers and other aviation safety professionals to perform at optimum levels.
While the shutdown is not directly to blame for the incident at Laguardia, it's not going to make anything better, either. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy already needs another $19 billion above the $12.5 billion allocated to fix air traffic control, and none of that is coming through while politicians point fingers at each other instead of running the country.