Wingtip of one plane hits another on taxiway at Reagan airport: FAA
The wingtip of an American Airlines plane hit another American Airlines plane on a taxiway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
No one was hurt, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said. Both planes returned to gates and airport operations weren't impacted, the agency said.
Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., tweeted that his plane was "stationary on the runway" when another plane "bumped into our wing."
"Thankfully everyone is ok!" he added.
"We got bumped on our right wing -- it was a loud sound," LaLota told ABC News Live.
He said when he looked out of the window, he saw the wing shaking.
"The plane shook violently," Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., another member of Congress on the flight, told ABC News Live. "It was pretty clear that we got hit."
"The pilot came on and told us we weren't going anywhere except back to the gate. We then waited about 45 minutes or so before they could move us," Gottheimer said.
He called the incident unacceptable.
"The key is now to make sure we're doing, from an oversight perspective, everything possible to make sure that the FAA is taking appropriate action, not just to investigate what happened, but going forward to protect all of our airports," he said.
"This is not a time to be cutting the FAA['s jobs] when they're understaffed already," he said, calling it "deeply concerning."
Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., who was also on the flight, agreed with Gottheimer, writing on social media, "I'm grateful no one was hurt today, but this incident underscores this urgent need restore all FAA jobs that keep our runways safe."
The airline said "the damage was limited to a winglet on each aircraft" and the planes "have been taken out of service to be inspected."
"Safety is our top priority, and we apologize to our customers for their experience," the airline added.
The representatives' flight was headed to JFK International Airport in New York. The other plane was headed to Charleston, South Carolina.
The FAA said it's investigating.
Reagan has been under scrutiny since January, when an American Airlines plane and an Army helicopter collided near the airport, killing everyone on board both aircraft.
