Two planes have reportedly made contact on the tarmac at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
At least three members of congress, Rep. Nick LaLota, Rep. Grace Meng and Rep. Adriano Espaillat, were aboard one of the aircrafts and have shared updates about the incident on X (formerly Twitter).
“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,” LaLota tweeted. “Heading back to the gate, but thankfully everyone is ok! (And @RepGraceMeng is handing out grapes!)”
Rep. Meng retweeted her fellow New York representative, adding “Glad my colleagues and I are okay! We are safely waiting on the tarmac, but we may need more snacks. I’m grateful no one was hurt today, but this incident underscores this urgent need [to[ restore all FAA jobs that keep our runways safe.”
Rep. Mang also shared a video, below, with her followers after deplaning showing the flight back at the gate, thanking followers for their concern and reiterating that everyone who had been on board was safe.
Rep. Espaillat’s office shared a statement with PEOPLE, confirming he was on board when there was “a minor incident where our plane clipped wings with another aircraft while taxiing at Ronald Reagan National Airport.” He added, “Aviation mishaps are at an all-time high, and the Trump administration’s reckless decision to fire FAA control staff has put us all in danger. We are thankful that no one was injured and that a catastrophe was avoided.”
A representative for American Airlines confirmed to PEOPLE that “American Eagle flight 5490, operated by PSA Airlines, made contact on a DCA taxiway with American Eagle flight 4522, operated by Republic Airways.”
Flight 5490 was en route from D.C. to Charleston, while Flight 4522, the plane carrying the congress members, was en route to New York’s JFK. Both planes suffered damage to their “winglet” and have been taken out of service for inspection and maintenance, per American.
The statement added, “Safety is our top priority, and we apologize to our customers for their experience.”
The incident comes just over two months after a deadly crash at the same airport on Jan. 29, during which an American Airlines regional jet and a Blackhawk Army helicopter collided in mid-air, killing everyone on board both aircrafts.
One of the planes involved in Thursday’s incident was the same model as the American Eagle plane in the January crash: a Bombardier CRJ 900. The other was an Embraer E175, according to the FAA’s statement to NBC Washington.
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty
The Trump administration recently fired of hundreds of FAA employees in February. About 400 support staff were fired from the federal agency, USA Today reported.
David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) union, released a statement on Feb. 15 about the terminations, in which he said the union feels “troubled and disappointed” by the administration’s decision.
Pilots and aviation experts have warned of a dangerous increase in “near misses” at U.S airports in recent years. A New York Times investigation from August 2023 included confidential reports documenting an alarming number of near collisions, many never made public.
