U.S. Lawmakers Plane Clipped on Ground at Reagan National
A plane carrying several U.S. House of Representatives members was clipped by another aircraft on the ground at Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) near Washington, D.C., on Thursday afternoon. The incident occurred around 12:45 p.m., and while there were no reported injuries, the situation raised concerns about air safety.
Among the lawmakers aboard the American Airlines plane were U.S. Reps. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., Grace Meng, D-N.Y., Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., and Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y. Meeks confirmed on social media that seven members of Congress were on board, along with many other passengers. The incident occurred on a taxiway as the planes were preparing for takeoff.
Both planes involved were operated by American Airlines, with American Eagle flight 5490, a Bombardier CRJ 900, bound for Charleston, South Carolina, and American Eagle flight 4522, an Embraer E175, set for John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. American Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the aircraft made contact on the taxiway.
“American Eagle flight 5490, operated by PSA Airlines, made contact on a DCA taxiway with American Eagle flight 4522, operated by Republic Airways,” an American Airlines spokesperson said in a statement. “Safety is our top priority, and we apologize to our customers for their experience.”
While both aircraft had a total of 143 passengers and eight crew members on board, there were no injuries reported, and both planes returned to the gate. Gottheimer, one of the lawmakers aboard, took to social media to thank the airline for prioritizing safety and pointed out concerns over recent cuts to the FAA, which he said could impact public safety.
“While waiting to take off on the runway at DCA just now, another plane struck our wing,” Gottheimer wrote. “Thankfully, everyone is safe. Just a reminder: Recent cuts to the FAA weaken our skies and public safety.”
LaLota, also aboard the flight, adopted a more light-hearted tone, joking about the incident on social media. “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,” he posted. “Heading back to the gate, but thankfully everyone is ok! (And @RepGraceMeng is handing out grapes!).”
This incident comes nearly two months after another notable accident at DCA, where an American Eagle jet collided in the air with a military Black Hawk helicopter on January 29, resulting in the tragic deaths of all 67 people aboard both crafts.
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, cnbc.com