Airplane Carrying 6 Members of Congress Is Clipped at Reagan Airport

Two American Airways jets, together with one carrying at the least six members of Congress from New York and New Jersey, clipped wings on a taxiway at Ronald Reagan Nationwide Airport in Washington on Thursday, officers stated.

There have been no accidents, based on American Airways, which stated that the injury was restricted to the winglets of the 2 planes and that each jets had been taken out of service for inspection.

The six Home members have been departing for Kennedy Worldwide Airport when the fitting winglet of their Embraer E175, which was stationary, was clipped by a regional jet heading to Charleston, S.C., officers stated.

“I’ve been flying for over 10 years to Washington,” Consultant Grace Meng, Democrat of New York, stated throughout a Zoom name with reporters whereas ready for an additional flight. “This has by no means occurred to me.”

Ms. Meng, whose district is in Queens, recognized the opposite Home members who have been aboard the flight as Gregory Meeks, Ritchie Torres, Adriano Espaillat, all Democrats from New York; Josh Gottheimer, Democrat of New Jersey; and Nick LaLota, a Lengthy Island Republican.

Mr. LaLota posted concerning the expertise on social media shortly after the accident.

“Serving in Congress has include some as soon as in a lifetime experiences… like simply now whereas stationary on the runway at DCA, one other aircraft simply ran into our wing,” he wrote on X, utilizing the three-letter airport code for Reagan Airport.

It’s common to identify members of Congress on business flights at Reagan Airport, particularly throughout breaks on Capitol Hill. The lawmakers shortly started chronicling the mishap on social media.

The episode introduced additional scrutiny to security procedures on the Reagan Airport, the place an American Airways regional jet making its closing strategy was struck by an Military helicopter on Jan. 29, killing all 67 individuals aboard the 2 plane. That crash was the deadliest in the US in 20 years.