Pretty incredible video to share today of an Air France A380 clipping the tail of a Delta Connection Comair Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-700 at New York’s JFK Airport last night. The Air France jumbo, flight 7 bound for Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, was taxiing out to the runway for takeoff when it clipped the regional jet and gave it quite a rotation. No one was injured on either aircraft, but if there’s ever a reason to keep your seatbelt fastened until the plane is fully at the gate, this is it.
Someone also posted the live Air Traffic Control (ATC) audio from the incident & here it is.
The Delta regional jet operated by Comair had just landed after arriving from Boston as flight number 6293. It looked to be pulling into the gate, although had stopped short. News reports mention the regional jet was evacuated via a mobile stairway before it was towed, and the Air France jumbo was towed in with a normal disembarkation. Air France cancelled the flight, showing it due to “operational difficulties,†which I find an interesting choice of words.
Their next departure to Paris was flight number 11, scheduled at 9:50pm, but didn’t leave until 1:31am this morning due to a “technical incident.†Additionally, they cancelled the last departure at 11:20pm. With two canceled flights last night, and damage to one of their few SuperJumbos, Air France has a lot of stranded passengers in New York today. It will be interesting to read the eventual NTSB report as to how this happened.
I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but isn’t that an Airbus A-340? It’s the size and basic shape of a Boeing B707-320 and far too lean, far too small and “normal” looking to be a beluga-ish A-380. 🙂
Hi Mark, the video image is poor, but yes it is the double-decker A380. I like your beluga description!