Two Delta planes collide into each other while taxiing at LaGuardia Airport in NYC leading to one plane’s wing completely broken and the nose of the other jet, an Endeavor Air passenger plane dented in what FAA insiders are warning against the hazards of air travel in the wake of sweeping purge of federal workers including airport control workers.
More serious injuries and potential loss of life were averted after two Delta Airlines operated passenger planes collided into each other at NYC‘s LaGuardia Airport that led to one wing ripped off one jet and a flight attendant being injured.
BREAKING: Two Delta planes have collided while taxiing at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, with a wing of one of the planes detached, reports said.
“They were taxing to the gate at LGA after landing at CLT when they were struck by another Delta regional jet that was taxiing… pic.twitter.com/eHj9HZ7gnV
— AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) October 2, 2025
Collision involved two Endeavor Air regional planes, one which had just landed and the other which was preparing to take off
The CRJ-900 regional jets, operated by Delta subsidiary Endeavor Air, were taxiing at low speed when they clipped each other about 9:56 p.m. on Wednesday.
Miraculously only one person on board, a flight attendant, was injured in the collision caught on video footage.
The ‘accident’ led to the one plane’s wing being broken off according to CBS News.
According to Delta, preliminary information indicates that the wing of Endeavor Air Flight 5155 made contact with the fuselage of Endeavor Air Flight 5047.
At the time of the collision, Endeavor Air flight 5155, was departing for Roanoke, Virginia. while Endeavor Air flight 5047 had just arrived in from Charlotte.
Endeavor Flight 5155 was carrying 32 people, 28 passengers and four crewmembers, Delta said. Endeavor Flight 5047 was carrying 61 people, 57 passengers and 4 crew members.
All 93 passengers and personnel on both planes were forced to deplane the aircrafts and wait to be transferred to new flights. They have been placed in hotel rooms, offered meals, will be given new flight options to rebook flights tomorrow.
Delta released a statement saying, ‘Delta will work with all relevant authorities to review what occurred as the safety of our customers and people comes before all else. We apologize to our customers for the experience,’ a Delta spokesperson said in the aftermath.
Passenger involved in Delta planes collision describes moment of impact
The cause of the collision is unknown at this time.
The crash marks the latest mishap for the ailing aviation industry, which has faced mounting concerns amid widespread job cuts to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by the Trump administration.
A passenger on board described the horror moment his plane was ‘absolutely smashed’ by the other jet shortly after landing in New York on a flight from Charlotte.
‘We were taxiing to our runway and we got absolutely smashed by another Delta flight… I don’t know if we hit them or they hit us but it was super jarring,’ the CBS News producer said.
Purge in Federal workers eyed as source of lack of air safety
‘Everyone shot forward in their seats, it was a little chaotic, we were shocked at what happened.’
A LaGuardia Airport spokesperson told the dailymail the injured flight attendant ‘suffered non-life threatening injuries and was transported to hospital as a precautionary measure.’
Pictures shared on social media show the nose of at least one of the planes suffered significant damage.
Crew members and passengers were seen on the tarmac, along with police, after the incident occurred.
‘Passengers were deplaned on the taxiway and transferred via buses back to Terminal C,’ the airport spokesperson said.
‘Passengers on the departing planes will be rebooked to another flight.’
The minor crash had no further impact to airport operations according to Port Authority which manages the airport.
Insiders at FAA speak out against cuts in air safety worker personnel
Delta will work with the Port Authority, the FAA, the NTSB, and others to review the incident.
Insiders at the Federal Aviation Administration have been sounding the alarm for months over the potential ramifications of job cuts within the department.
There have been mounting concerns about the risk of accidents at airports across the nation as a result.
‘Air traffic controllers cannot do their work without us,’ an air safety worker impacted by the cuts told Politico back in February.
‘To put it frankly, without our team… pilots would quite literally be flying blind,’ they added. The employee was cited as an anonymous source so they could speak freely about the terminations.
Earlier this year, a collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport killed 67 people involving an army helicopter and an American Airlines plane.
In addition to the fatal crash in Washington DC on January 29, a small plane carrying 10 people crashed in Alaska on February 6, and two private jets collided at the Scottsdale Airport on February 10, killing one individual and injuring four.
Insiders fear there are now so few cartographers logging potential hazards that planes could slam into buildings or towers as they navigate giant cityscapes like New York or Chicago.
A team of 20 or so aeronautical information specialists were previously responsible for maintaining a nationwide database listing the height and location of any man-made structure that could impact safety.
But under President Donald Trump’s sweeping purge of federal workers, the Obstacle Data Team has dwindled to a mere eight members, according to a whistleblower within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Those who remain warn that resources are stretched so thin that errors could creep into the material they provide for pilots, airlines and air traffic controllers and cause a crash.
‘A building could be mapped in the wrong place or the wrong height,’ the insider said.
‘It’s not far-fetched. We’re talking about the destruction of lives and airplanes.’
