Two Delta-operated regional jets collided while taxiing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Wednesday night, leaving one flight attendant injured and raising new concerns about aviation safety.

 

The incident occurred at around 9:56 p.m. when two Endeavor Air CRJ-900 regional jets, both operated under Delta Connection, clipped each other at low speed. According to Delta, preliminary findings indicate that the wing of Endeavor Air Flight 5155 struck the fuselage of Endeavor Air Flight 5047.

At the time, Flight 5155 was departing for Roanoke, Virginia, while Flight 5047 had just arrived from Charlotte, North Carolina. Flight 5155 was carrying 32 people — 28 passengers and four crew members — while Flight 5047 had 61 people on board, including 57 passengers and four crew.

BREAKING: Two Delta planes have collided while taxiing at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, with a wing of one of the planes detached, reports said.

"They were taxing to the gate at LGA after landing at CLT when they were struck by another Delta regional jet that was taxiing… pic.twitter.com/eHj9HZ7gnV

— AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) October 2, 2025

Despite the severity of the collision, which ripped off a wing from one jet and caused significant nose damage to another, only a single injury was reported. A LaGuardia Airport spokesperson confirmed that a flight attendant “suffered non-life threatening injuries and was transported to hospital as a precautionary measure.”

All 93 passengers and crew were evacuated from the planes, transferred to Terminal C by bus, and provided with hotel accommodations, meals, and rebooking options.

Two Delta planes collide into each other taxiing at LaGuardia Airport involving Endeavor Air CRJ-900 regional jets.

Delta issued a statement saying, “Delta will work with all relevant authorities to review what occurred as the safety of our customers and people comes before all else. We apologize to our customers for the experience.”

One passenger on board Flight 5047 described the moment of impact: “We were taxiing to our runway and we got absolutely smashed by another Delta flight… I don’t know if we hit them or they hit us but it was super jarring. Everyone shot forward in their seats, it was a little chaotic, we were shocked at what happened.”

Authorities confirmed that the incident did not disrupt wider airport operations. The Port Authority, FAA, and NTSB will join Delta and Endeavor Air in reviewing the collision.

The crash comes amid mounting concern over federal workforce reductions at the FAA, with insiders warning of risks tied to diminished staffing. An FAA employee told Politico: “Air traffic controllers cannot do their work without us. To put it frankly, without our team… pilots would quite literally be flying blind.”

According to whistleblowers, staffing for the FAA’s Obstacle Data Team — which tracks potential hazards for pilots — has been reduced from 20 specialists to just eight under recent federal cuts. “A building could be mapped in the wrong place or the wrong height. It’s not far-fetched. We’re talking about the destruction of lives and airplanes,” one insider said.

The LaGuardia collision follows a string of recent U.S. aviation accidents, including the January 29 crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people, a small plane crash in Alaska on February 6 that killed 10, and a February 10 collision at Scottsdale Airport involving two private jets, which left one dead and four injured.