ATLANTA—A larger plane pilot was not looking at the tail of a smaller plane when the larger plane’s right wing collided with the tail while taxiing at Atlanta’s airport on Sept. 10, as per an aviation safety report.
The initial report from the National Transportation Safety Board reveals that the pilot of a Delta Air Lines Airbus 350 was focused on oncoming traffic off his left wing as he taxied at a speed of about 14 mph (23 kph).
“The captain mentioned that, as the airplane approached the intersection with taxiway V, he was looking straight ahead and to the left to avoid the left wingtip from coming into contact with opposite direction traffic coming off taxiway V,” the report explains.
The tail of a smaller Bombardier CRJ-900, operated by Delta regional subsidiary Endeavor Air, was protruding onto a perpendicular taxiway while waiting for permission to take off at the world’s busiest airport.
The NTSB report indicates that the regional jet stopped 56 feet (17 meters) short of the hold line marked on the taxiway. Given that the A350’s right wing extends 106 feet (32.3 meters) from the center of the jet to the tip, that 56-foot distance may have been the margin between the right wing hitting the tail and narrowly missing it.
The larger plane had received a navigational alert message and was directed to a different taxiway for maintenance consultation before departure.
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The NTSB is currently conducting further investigations.
One member of the regional jet crew reported a minor injury, while three crew members and 56 passengers were unharmed on a flight destined for Lafayette, Louisiana. None of the 15 crew members and 221 passengers on the larger jet en route to Tokyo sustained injuries.
The report notes that the impact caused the regional jet to sway drastically to the left and right, with its body rotating 9 degrees clockwise.
Jason Adams, a meteorologist for WFTS-TV in Tampa, Florida, who was aboard the smaller plane, described the impact as “very jarring,” with “metal scraping sounds followed by loud bangs.” The jet’s tail assembly was knocked off at a 90-degree angle, with one of the horizontal stabilizers resting on the ground.
Atlanta-based Delta stated that the wing of the larger plane also suffered damage.
By Jeff Amy
