A shocking incident unfolded at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Tuesday morning when two Delta Air Lines aircraft collided while taxiing, raising serious questions about safety protocols at one of the nation’s busiest airports. The mishap, involving a massive Delta Airbus A350 and a smaller regional Delta CRJ 900 jet, left the tail of one plane nearly torn off, rattling passengers and highlighting growing concerns over air traffic management.
The collision occurred as Delta Flight 295, an Airbus A350, was preparing to depart for Tokyo. Its wingtip struck the tail of the smaller Delta CRJ 900 regional jet, which was scheduled to fly to Lafayette, Louisiana. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) quickly released a statement confirming the incident, noting that both planes were on the tarmac at the time of the collision. The statement described the crash as the A350’s wingtip making contact with the CRJ’s tail.
While no injuries were reported, passengers on board both planes were left shaken. Stacy Thibodeaux, who was on the CRJ 900, described the moment of impact: “It shook us. We didn’t know what was going on. I actually thought the plane went off the runway, but that wasn’t the case—a much larger plane hit us and took the whole tail off.”
Steven Shelton, a passenger aboard the larger A350, likened the sound of the crash to hitting a pothole. “You kind of heard a bang and everything vibrated,” he recalled, though the collision was not immediately understood to be as severe as it turned out.
The collision happened at an intersection of two taxiways on the airport’s north airfield. According to an official statement from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the Airbus A350 taxied back to its gate under its own power, while the passengers aboard the CRJ were bussed to Concourse B. “There is minimal impact to operations,” the airport stated.
However, the incident has raised alarms about the competence of those in charge of air traffic control and the pilots themselves. Aviation observers on social media were quick to speculate about who was to blame, with many pointing fingers at both air traffic controllers and the flight crews. One commenter expressed frustration over the apparent lack of attention to detail: “Sounds to me like a controller is to blame and/or an inattentive aircrew… the A350 could and should have avoided the collision.”
Others speculated that both parties may share responsibility. “The CRJ stopped and sat well short of the Hold Short line, leaving the tail dangling out into the taxiway. The A350 should have noticed that. I question where air traffic was during all of this,” another commenter pointed out.
These questions about accountability come at a time when the aviation industry, still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, is under increased scrutiny for safety standards. As major airlines like Delta push to meet growing travel demand, incidents like this one serve as a stark reminder that safety must remain paramount, and any lapses in oversight could have far more devastating consequences in the future.
While the FAA continues its investigation into the collision, passengers and the broader public are left wondering how such a costly and dangerous incident could occur at one of the most advanced airports in the world. With millions of dollars in damage and the potential for far worse outcomes, this crash should serve as a wake-up call to both the airline industry and the federal agencies tasked with keeping the skies safe.
