1 week Ago By Gaurav Joshi
Two aircraft operating for American Airlines’ regional flights had to be taken out of service after they clipped wings at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Thursday. Both aircraft were preparing for departure but instead had to return to the gates for inspection. Reagan National Airport has been in the news lately for many reasons stemming from the fatal mid-air collision in January.
Thankfully, the latest incident was deemed minor and no injuries were reported. Airplanes Clip Wings At Reagan National Airport On April 10, two American Airlines airplanes that were scheduled to depart from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) had to return to the gates because they clipped their wing tips. One of the aircraft was headed to Charleston International Airport (CHS), South Carolina, while the other was scheduled to fly to John F.
Kennedy International Airport (JFK). One of the jetliners involved in the incident was a CRJ900 operated by PSA Airlines for American Eagle, while the other one was an Embraer E175 operated by Republic Airways. The pilots of the CRJ900 reported hearing a loud noise, described as “thunk.
” In air traffic control audio captured by the website LiveATC.net, the CRJ900 pilot can be heard communicating with the air traffic control, asking about the situation. CNN quotes the pilot as saying, “BlueStreak 5490, did we hit the aircraft next to us? We think we might have hit the (Embraer) 175 short of (runway) 19.
We just heard a loud, like a boom, like a thunk, before we took the runway. We can see a piece of a winglet on the ground behind the right wing of the Embraer.” The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the incident and said: "The wingtip of American Airlines Flight 5490 struck American Airlines Flight 4522 on a taxiway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport around 12:45pm local time on Thursday, April 10.
" Flights in and out of Washington Reagan National Airport also carry politicians and bureaucrats, and Rep. Nick LaLota was in one of the planes. He posted on social media about the incident and expressed gratitude that everyone was okay.
About The Two Flights The CRJ900 flying to Charleston was operating as flight AA 5490. It’s a scheduled commercial service with a departure time of 11:59 and an arrival of 13:48. According to Flightradar24 , the service on April 10 departed quite late, at 15:28.
The other aircraft involved in the incident, the Embraer E175, was operating flight AA 4522 to New York JFK. The scheduled service has a departure time of 12:30 and an arrival of 13:53. This service, too, was delayed on Thursday, as Flightradar24 shows that it took off at 15:38.
American Airlines is by far the biggest operator at Reagan National Airport. In fact, it offers more than five times the number of routes as its nearest competitor at the airport. In 2024, Reagan National Airport welcomed over 26 million passengers, and American Airlines accounted for more than half of them.
American’s mainline and regional operations consistently amount to more than 7,000 flights monthly. A quick scan of Cirium , an aviation analytics firm, shows the following numbers of departures for the months of April, May, and June for American out of Reagan National Airport: Month Number of departures April 7,807 May 7,940 June 7,703 Both Washington DC airports look to a warmer future after a cold winter. Ground Damage Is Not Uncommon The two aircraft in the latest incident were taken out of service for inspection.
American said that "the damage was limited to a winglet on each aircraft," but ground damage to airplanes can generally cost airlines a lot of money in inspections and subsequent repairs, depending on the damage sustained. Brandon Popovich, manager of safety and training at NATA (National Air Transportation Association), told Aviation Pros that the ramp or apron is one of the most common areas on the airfield where ground damage occurs. Sometimes, this can occur while the aircraft is parked or even during the tow operation.
Popovich defines ground damage as any deformity of the aircraft structure, make-up, build, or components. Indeed, there have been several incidents of aircraft being damaged while at the airport. Planes clipping wings while on the ground has also happened multiple times in the past.
For example, in April 2024, it was reported that an American Airlines flight at Philadelphia International Airport was being pushed back from the gate when one of its wings made contact with another American Airlines jet parked at the adjacent gate ..
