A passenger plane with at least three members of Congress onboard was struck on the taxiway at Reagan Washington National Airport by the wingtip of another aircraft on Thursday, authorities said.
American Airlines flight 5490 – a Bombardier CRJ 900 headed to Charleston, South Carolina – struck American flight 4522 – an Embraer E175 which was headed to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, around 12:45 p.m. ET, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said. No injuries were reported.
Representative Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat, said on social media that he was on the flight to New York when the incident occurred while waiting to take off on the runway.
The FAA will investigate the collision. American said both aircraft taxied to the terminal and were taken out of service to be inspected by maintenance teams. The damage was limited to a winglet on each aircraft.
Operations at Reagan have come under intense scrutiny since the Jan. 29 fatal collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter, killing 67 people.
The FAA said this week it installed a new management team to oversee air traffic control at Reagan National.
Senators last month pressed the FAA for failing to act on thousands of reports of helicopters in dangerous proximity to airplanes near Reagan.
Last week, the FAA said it may slow flight arrivals at Reagan after the collision. It is also increasing operational supervisor staffing from six to eight and an FAA stress management team will visit the airport offering confidential support for staff.
