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Apr 10th, 2025, 4:23 PM ET·World

American Airlines Planes Clip Wings at Reagan Airport with No Injuries Reported, Investigation Underway

An American Airlines plane heading to Charleston clipped another American Airlines flight headed to New York. No injuries reported, FAA investigating incident.


Last Update: 6:35 PM ET

Summary

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On April 10, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, an American Airlines flight to Charleston clipped the wing of another American Airlines flight to New York while stationary. No injuries occurred, and both planes safely returned to the gate. The incident involved Flight 5490 (76 passengers) and Flight 4522 (67 passengers). Notable passengers included six members of Congress, who shared their experiences on social media. The FAA is investigating the collision, which follows earlier safety concerns at the airport, including a deadly crash in January.

Sources (11)

Compare coverage of this story from news outlets across the political spectrum.
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  • The situation at Ronald Reagan National Airport raises concerns about air safety, particularly with a history of recent incidents including a fatal collision earlier this year.
  • Some lawmakers aboard have pointed out that recent cuts to FAA staffing could jeopardize air traffic safety, suggesting a need for restoring FAA jobs to maintain safe skies.
  • Passengers experienced a surprising and unsettling incident, illustrating ongoing safety challenges at the airport.
2 Planes Bump Wings At D.C.'s Reagan National Airport
HuffPostHuffPost·1M·
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American Airlines planes bump wings at Washington airport
Al JazeeraAl Jazeera·1M·
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"…The latest mishap at Reagan National will intensify scrutiny over how air traffic is handled at the airport just outside Washington, DC, which has the single busiest US runway."

Planes bump wings on the ground at Washington’s Reagan National Airport
CNNCNN·1M·
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This outlet slightly leans left.

"…The aviation fender bender comes as the airport is coping with a series of recent incidents, including a mid-air collision in January that left 67 people dead and a military flyover last month that came dangerously close to a departing plane."

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