Several members of Congress were on a New York City-bound plane that was struck on the wing by another plane on the runway at the Reagan National Airport Thursday afternoon.
“The wingtip of American Airlines Flight 5490 struck American Airlines Flight 4522 on a taxiway… around 12:45 p.m,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
Flight 5490 was headed to Charleston, South Carolina while flight 4522 was headed to JFK International Airport in New York.
Several members of the House from both New York and New Jersey were on the American Airlines flight to New York.
“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,” Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) posted to social media. “Heading back to the gate, but thankfully everyone is ok!.
He added that Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) was handing out grapes to other passengers.
“Glad my colleagues and I are okay! We are safely waiting on the tarmac, but we may need more snacks,” Meng said. “I’m grateful no one was hurt today, but this incident underscores this urgent need restore all FAA jobs that keep our runways safe.”
“While waiting to take off on the runway at DCA just now, another plane struck our wing,” New Jersey Democrat Josh Gottheimer wrote in a social media post. “Thankfully, everyone is safe. Just a reminder: Recent cuts to the FAA weaken our skies and public safety.”
Ritchie Torres, D-NY wrote that he “was just on a grounded plane that was struck by another aircraft. Thankfully, no one was injured-just the inconvenience of a delayed departure. The Bronx: I’m coming home… eventually!”
In a statement to CNN, airport officials confirmed that there were no injuries and “there is no effect on flight operations at Reagan National Airport, as both aircraft have returned to gates.”
