Audio captured the confusion inside the cockpit of a Delta flight after the plane collided with another aircraft on the runway at the busiest airport in the United States.
The shocking incident took place at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia shortly after 10 a.m. on Tuesday when a Tokyo-bound flight collided with the rear of a Louisiana-bound plane as it prepared to take off.
“We just hit something on the taxiway. Can you tell us what it was?” one of the pilots asked in the audio.
Air traffic control responded: “The entire tail of that CRJ is detached.”
Shocking audio captured the confusion inside the cockpit of a Delta flight after the plane collided with another jet on Tuesday morning, with the pilot asking: “We just hit something on the taxiway, could you tell us what it was?”
Shocking images from the runway showed the tail of the Louisiana-bound plane bent at a 90-degree angle.
In the newly released audio, the pilot of the Tokyo-bound flight and air traffic control can be heard going back and forth over the shocking scenes.
“Yes, we have this tailless CRJ 900 on Foxtrot 2,” air traffic control said.
The footage and audio end with passengers being transported back to the terminal as airline staff look on in shock.
Although there were reported to be 277 passengers on board, no injuries were reported as a result of the calamity.
Jason Adams, a Tampa meteorologist for WTFS TV, said he was aboard the regional plane at the time of impact.
“Well that was scary,” he posted on X. “We were taxiing for the flight from Atlanta to Louisiana and another plane appears to have hit the back of our plane.
‘There are loud metallic noises, then loud bangs. We are fine. There is no fire or smoke. We are awaiting instructions.’
The incident took place on Tuesday morning and one of the planes collided with the other while taxiing for takeoff.
No injuries have been reported among the 277 passengers on the bus.
Delta said the Airbus struck the Lafayette-bound plane while it was parked on an adjacent runway, “resulting in damage to the tail of the regional jet and the wing of the A350.”
“Following an incident at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport earlier today, Delta worked with each customer on flights DL295 to Tokyo-Haneda and DL5526 to Lafayette, Louisiana, to provide accommodations on alternate aircraft scheduled to depart Tuesday afternoon. We apologize to our customers for the experience,” the statement read.
‘There have been no reported injuries to customers or crew members and operations continue as normal at the Atlanta airport.
‘In the meantime, Delta is cooperating with the NTSB and other authorities as Delta TechOps teams prepare to safely move both aircraft to maintenance hangars.’
Shortly after the collision, Atlanta’s airport confirmed there would be “minimal impact” on its operations.
“At approximately 10:07 this morning, two aircraft made contact at the intersection of taxiways E and H at the northern airfield,” the statement said.
‘At this time, no injuries have been reported. Passengers on one of the aircraft are being transported by bus from the scene of the incident to the waiting rooms.
‘The second aircraft moved under its own power to a terminal where passengers will disembark at their boarding gate. The impact on airport operations is minimal.’
A passenger on board a plane headed to Lafayette, Louisiana, described the situation as “terrifying” and took this photo shortly after being evacuated.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the busiest airport in the U.S. and is Delta’s hub.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the busiest airport in the U.S. and is Delta’s hub.
The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed it is investigating the incident.
DailyMail.com has contacted the FAA for comment.
This comes after a Delta Airlines flight to Rome was forced to turn around over the Atlantic Ocean and return to Boston following a lightning strike last month.
This followed a worrying safety incident in March, when a Boeing-made Delta Airlines flight leaving Aruba and heading to Atlanta was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing after an engine exploded during takeoff.