Tipping the Balance: The Incident at Atlanta International Airport


On 10 September 2024, at about 10:07 a.m. local time, a Delta Air Lines Airbus A350-900 (Flight DL 295, bound for Tokyo-Haneda) and an Endeavor Air CRJ-900 (Flight DL 5526, bound for Lafayette, Louisiana) were involved in a ground collision at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. As the A350 taxied along Taxiway E, its right wingtip struck the tail assembly—both vertical and horizontal stabilizers—of the CRJ, which was holding short on Taxiway H awaiting takeoff clearance.

The impact severed the CRJ’s tail section, while the A350 sustained damage to its wing. Remarkably, there were no injuries reported among the 221 passengers aboard the A350 or the 56 aboard the CRJ—aside from a minor injury to a flight attendant on the CRJ. The larger jet was able to taxi under its own power back to a gate, and the smaller aircraft’s occupants were safely bussed back to the terminal. Airport operations remained largely unaffected.

Federal agencies sprang into action: both the FAA and the NTSB opened formal investigations, consistent with protocols for aircraft ground collisions. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker later underscored the agency’s ongoing rollout of enhanced situational-awareness technologies—such as alerts when aircraft are misaligned or improperly positioned on taxiways—to reduce such mishaps.

Preliminary reconstructions and traffic recordings indicate that the collision occurred at the intersection of Taxiways E and H—a complex ground navigation point in one of the world’s busiest airports. While definitive causes are still under review, contributing factors under consideration include potential ATC miscommunication, taxiway congestion, and challenges inherent to managing tight ground-spacing amid high-volume operations.


ASN description: https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/421550 (N503DN) and https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/421543 (N302PQ)


Preliminary report: NTSB (https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Delta-A350-vs-CRJ-900-Atlanta-NTSB-Prelim-Report.pdf)


Credits goes to Tjorve Henzler for the first photo (https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/9861507) and OMGcat for the second photo (https://www.planespotters.net/photo/1374551/n302pq-delta-connection-bombardier-crj-900lr-cl-600-2d24).

OTD in 2024, Delta Air Lines Flight 295, an Airbus A350-941, registered as N503DN, and Endeavor Air Flight 5526, a Bombardier CRJ-900LR, registered as N302PQ, were involved in a ground collision when the A350 sliced the tail of the Bombardier. All 295 people aboard both planes survived, one injured.