Incident Overview
On September 10, 2024, at about 1007 eastern daylight time, Delta Air Lines flight 295, an Airbus A350-941, registration N503DN, collided with Endeavor Air flight 5526 (dba Delta Air Lines), a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) CRJ-900, registration N302PQ, while taxiing for departure at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Atlanta, Georgia. Flight 295 is referred to as the A350 airplane, and flight 5526 is referred to as the CRJ airplane.
Circumstances of the Collision
The CRJ was holding short of runway 8R on taxiway H waiting for takeoff clearance. The A350 was taxiing along intersecting taxiway E. As the A350 passed behind the CRJ, where the taxiways intersected, the right wingtip of the A350 impacted the vertical stabilizer of the CRJ. This resulted in substantial damage to the empennage of the CRJ and minor damage to the A350.
Occupants and Injuries
Passengers and crew aboard both airplanes were not injured except for a flight attendant aboard the CRJ, who sustained a minor injury.
Flight Operations
The A350 was operating under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 as a scheduled international passenger flight from ATL to Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND), Tokyo, Japan. The CRJ was operating under Part 121 as a regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight from ATL to Lafayette Regional Airport (LFT), Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.
Crew Statements
Four flight crew members were on the flight deck of the A350: a captain and first officer, a relief captain, and a relief first officer. The captain was the pilot flying and the first officer was the pilot monitoring. According to the flight crew, the pilot flying briefed that the long runway (09L) normally used for heavy aircraft was closed for construction, so they would taxi to and depart from runway 8R. After pushback, they received taxi instructions, held short at various taxiways, and were eventually cleared to taxi on taxiway E. While taxiing on taxiway E, a navigational alert message appeared on the lower electronic centralized aircraft monitor (ECAM). The first officer informed the tower they would need to stop to coordinate with maintenance. ATC instructed them to continue straight ahead on taxiway E and hold short of taxiway V. As the airplane approached the intersection with taxiway V, the captain was looking straight ahead and to the left to avoid the left wingtip from impinging on opposite direction traffic. At that time, the right wingtip impacted the CRJ.
The CRJ flight crew, consisting of a captain (pilot flying) and first officer (pilot monitoring), indicated that they pushed back from the gate and were instructed to taxi to runway 8R via taxiway E. They completed before-takeoff checks while on taxiway E. ATC advised that the A350 would wait for them. The crew maneuvered the CRJ to the hold-short line on taxiway H, set the parking brake, and awaited further instruction.
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) traveled to ATL and invited qualified parties: the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Delta Air Lines, Endeavor Air, and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). Group chairs were assigned in operations, airworthiness, air traffic control (ATC), aircraft performance, flight data recorder (FDR), and cockpit voice recorder (CVR).
FDRs and CVRs were retrieved from both airplanes between September 10 and 11, 2024. Both CVRs were sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Laboratory on September 13. FDR data were downloaded on-site by Delta Air Lines in the presence of NTSB personnel.
Data Analysis
The FAA provided certified ADS-B latitude and longitude data. Analysis of ADS-B and preliminary FDR data showed the airplanes collided at 10:07:46. The CRJ was stationary, and the A350 was taxiing at a groundspeed of about 12 knots. The CRJ sustained lateral accelerations of 0.5 G left followed by 0.55 G right, and its heading rotated about 9° clockwise.
On September 13, the operations group interviewed the flight crews at Delta Air Lines general offices. The airworthiness group examined the accident airplanes from September 11 to 13 at ATL. According to Endeavor, the distance from the hold short line to the nose landing gear of the CRJ was approximately 56 feet. The A350 was examined at Delta Tech Ops, and the CRJ at the Endeavor Air facility.
The investigation continues.