An Air Canada plane collided with a Delta aircraft after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport from Toronto Tuesday morning.
According to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) spokesperson Donnell Evans, Delta Air Lines Flight 7 was taxiing for departure when its left wingtip “clipped the horizontal stabilizer of Air Canada Flight 785.”
“The Air Canada flight was being towed when it stopped short of its gate,” Evans said, adding that the FAA is still investigating the events that led to the collision.
Air Canada says its aircraft was “at the gate” at the time of the collision.
In an emailed statement, an Air Canada spokesperson told the Star there have been no reported injuries, but the damaged aircraft “will be taken out of service for inspection and repairs.”
Delta, whose plane was carrying 275 customers and 15 crew members, also reports no injuries.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, and we apologize to our customers for the experience and delay in their travels,” a Delta Airline spokesperson said.
While the FAA says the Air Canada aircraft was being towed at the time of collision, Air Canada says the its aircraft was “at the gate.”
Jayson Lowe watched the aftermath from the window of his United Airlines flight as it crept toward the gate after arriving from Denver.
“I was looking out the window as we were taxiing to our arrival gate and a Delta A350 managed to hit a parked Air Canada plane,” he shared in a Facebook post. “I cannot stress this enough. Parked!”
Just a few feet away from the parking position, Lowe says the plane he was in had to be towed the rest of the way.
“The pilot of our United flight came on the PA and told us that the system that guides aircraft into the gate was not functioning,” Lowe told the Star.
Delta says maintenance crews and airport teams are now examining the aircraft, though the extent of the damage remains unclear.
The airline says it’s ready to cooperate with the National Transportation Safety Board on any investigation, and is “working to accommodate customers and evaluate recovery options.”
