Several U.S. lawmakers on Thursday were aboard an aircraft awaiting takeoff at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) when another plane “bumped” into its wing.
Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., wrote in a post on X that no one onboard was injured.
“Serving in Congress has come with some once in a lifetime experiences… like just now while stationary on the runway at DCA, another plane just bumped into our wing,” LaLota wrote.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed in a preliminary statement that the wingtip of American Airlines Flight 5490 struck American Airlines Flight 4522 on a taxiway at DCA at around 12:45 p.m. local time.
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Rep. Nick LaLota shared a photo from aboard a plane after he said a second plane clipped its wing while on the tarmac of DCA on Thursday. (Rep. Nick LaLota / X)
American Airlines confirmed the incident and said, “Safety is our top priority, and we apologize to our customers for their experience.”
The two planes involved in the wing clip included a Bombardier CRJ 900 with 76 passengers and four crew members headed to Charleston International Airport in South Carolina, and an Embraer E175 with 67 customers and four crew members headed to JFK International Airport in New York.
The planes were taken out of service and inspected by maintenance teams, American Airlines said. The damage was limited to a winglet on each aircraft, the airline said.
The Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority also confirmed the incident in a statement.
“There is no effect on flight operations at Reagan National Airport, as both aircraft have returned to gates and no injuries were reported,” the statement said.
LaLota said that Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., who was also onboard the plane, was handing out snacks to passengers as they waited to return to the gate.
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“Glad my colleagues and I are okay! We are safely waiting on the tarmac, but we may need more snacks,” Meng wrote in her own post on X. “I’m grateful no one was hurt today, but this incident underscores this urgent need [to] restore all FAA jobs that keep our runways safe.”
Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., was also on the plane when a second aircraft apparently clipped its wing.
“While waiting to take off on the runway at DCA just now, another plane struck our wing,” Gottheimer wrote. “Thankfully, everyone is safe.”
The Democrat added: “Just a reminder: Recent cuts to the FAA weaken our skies and public safety.”
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The FAA said the agency will investigate the incident.
Fox News’ Grady Trimble and Ashley Cozzolino contributed to this report.
