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From NBC News: A plane carrying five members of the U.S. House of Representatives was clipped by another aircraft on the ground at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., on Thursday, officials said.
U.S. Reps. Nick LaLota, R-NY, Grace Meng, D-NY, and Josh Gottheimer, D-NJ, all confirmed to NBC News they were aboard the American Airlines plane that was clipped at about 12:45 p.m.
Two of those lawmakers also confirmed that U.S. Reps Adriano Espaillat and Ritchie Torres, both Democrats from New York, were also aboard that craft.
Both planes were connected to American Airlines, the FAA and airline both said.
According to the report, the plane the five congress members was on (headed for JFK airport in New York) was waiting on the runway to take off when another plane (headed for Charleston, SC) clipped its wing.
No injuries were reported.
The Democrat members of congress tried to blame the incident on the Trump administration.
Republican Rep. LaLota shared a photo from inside the plane and wrote, “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! (And @RepGraceMeng is handing out grapes!)”
Democrat Rep. Meng then added, “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.”
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. https://t.co/tM4lyHsdYk
— Grace Meng (@RepGraceMeng) April 10, 2025
Meng later added a video as she waited inside the airport.
“While waiting on the runway to fly out of DC today, another plane clipped the wing of the plane my colleagues and I were on. Fortunately, everyone is okay & we’re heading back to New York soon. Thank you to all who reached out with your concerns!” she said.
While waiting on the runway to fly out of DC today, another plane clipped the wing of the plane my colleagues and I were on. Fortunately, everyone is okay & we’re heading back to New York soon. Thank you to all who reached out with your concerns! pic.twitter.com/MAbN2E4dcW
— Grace Meng (@RepGraceMeng) April 10, 2025
Rep Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) was even more pointed in his finger-pointing.
“While waiting to take off on the runway at DCA just now, another plane struck our wing. Thankfully, everyone is safe. Just a reminder: Recent cuts to the FAA weaken our skies and public safety,” he first wrote.
While waiting to take off on the runway at DCA just now, another plane struck our wing. Thankfully, everyone is safe.
Just a reminder: Recent cuts to the FAA weaken our skies and public safety.
— Rep Josh Gottheimer (@RepJoshG) April 10, 2025
The Trump administration fired back, writing, “Wrong. There have been no cuts to air traffic controllers, safety personnel, or safety-critical positions at the FAA.”
Gottheimer alleged, “You fired 400 FAA employees in February and then were forced to rehire 132: https://aerotime.aero/articles/faa-rehires-132-employees-calls-trump-firings-unlawful
“The head of the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization is stepping down as part of your second round of buyouts at the Dept. of Transportation: https://reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/top-faa-air-traffic-control-official-stepping-down-sources-say-2025-04-08/ Those are the facts!”
You fired 400 FAA employees in February and then were forced to rehire 132: https://t.co/Hjx4kpj0FW
The head of the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization is stepping down as part of your second round of buyouts at the Dept. of Transportation: https://t.co/BnaKf5ljiW
Those are the… https://t.co/IxZ4q4x9eI
— Rep Josh Gottheimer (@RepJoshG) April 10, 2025
Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), who proudly touts on his X page that he is a “former undocumented immigrant turned progressive congressman,” also used the incident to take aim at the Trump administration.
“This afternoon, several members of Congress, including myself and other passengers, were involved in a minor incident where our plane clipped wings with another aircraft while taxiing at Ronald Reagan National Airport. Aviation mishaps are at an all-time high, and the Trump administration’s reckless decision to fire FAA control staff has put us all in danger. We are thankful that no one was injured and that a catastrophe was avoided,” Espaillat wrote.
This afternoon, several members of Congress, including myself and other passengers, were involved in a minor incident where our plane clipped wings with another aircraft while taxiing at Ronald Reagan National Airport. Aviation mishaps are at an all-time high, and the Trump… https://t.co/BOCOBhrdzA
— Adriano Espaillat (@RepEspaillat) April 10, 2025
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) also posted about the incident, writing, “I was just on a grounded plane that was struck by another aircraft. Thankfully, no one was injured—just the inconvenience of a delayed departure. The Bronx: I’m coming home… eventually!”
I was just on a grounded plane that was struck by another aircraft. Thankfully, no one was injured—just the inconvenience of a delayed departure.
The Bronx: I’m coming home… eventually!
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) April 10, 2025
Check out these NY & NJ members of Congress flying from DC to JFK.
Amtrak, anyone?https://t.co/eCU77yGJEl
— Jose Martinez (@JMartinezNYC) April 10, 2025
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