Wingtip of American Eagle plane hits another aircraft carrying several US Congress members at DCA

WASHINGTON — The wingtip of an American Eagle plane hit another American Eagle plane carrying several U.S. Congress members Thursday afternoon at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The wingtip of American Eagle flight 5490, operated by PSA Airlines, hit American Eagle flight 4522, operated by Republic Airways, on a taxiway at DCA about 12:45 p.m., the FAA and American Airlines said.

Flight 5490, a Bombardier CRJ 900, was headed to Charleston International Airport in South Carolina. Flight 4522, an Embraer E175, was headed to JFK International Airport in New York.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said the incident did not affect operations at the airport, where a mid-air collision between an American Airlines flight and an Army helicopter earlier this year killed everyone onboard both aircraft.

No one was injured Thursday.

Both planes returned to gates, and are being inspected.

Those on the planes will board other aircraft to continue their trips, American Airlines said.

The FAA is investigating.

Reps. Nick LaLota, R-New York; Josh Gottheimer, D-New Jersey; and Grace Meng, D-New York said on X they were on the plane that was hit, but were OK.

“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. Heading back to the gate, but thankfully everyone is ok!” LaLota said.

Glad my colleagues and I are okay! We are safely waiting on the tarmac, but we may need more snacks. I’m grateful no one was hurt today, but this incident underscores this urgent need restore all FAA jobs that keep our runways safe,” Meng said.

American Airlines operates American Eagle.

“Safety is our top priority, and we apologize to our customers for their experience,” the airline said.

This is a developing story; check back for updates.