A plane carrying several congressional representatives from New York, including Suffolk County’s Nick LaLota and Grace Meng of Queens, was involved in a runway mishap Thursday while preparing to depart Washington, D.C. for JFK International Airport.
LaLota posted about the incident on social media.
“Serving in Congress has come with some once in a lifetime experiences… like just now while stationary on the runway at DCA [Ronald Reagan National Airport], another plane just bumped into our wing,” the Long Island Republican wrote on X shortly after 1 p.m. “Heading back to the gate, but thankfully everyone is OK!”
Rep. Meng also assured her constituents that she and the other passengers were unharmed, though the wing of the aircraft had been clipped.
“Fortunately, everyone is OK and we’re heading back to New York soon,” the Democrat wrote on social media. “Thank you to all who reached out with your concerns!”
Also onboard the American Airlines flight were New York representatives Ritchie Torres, Gregory Meeks and Adriano Espaillat, as well as Josh Gottheimer from New Jersey.
“I’m coming home… eventually!” Torres assured Bronx residents.
American Airlines told the Daily News in a statement that there were no reported injuries Thursday afternoon after the wingtip of Flight 5490 made contact on the taxiway with Flight 4522 around 12:45 p.m.
The plane heading to New York was carrying 67 passengers and four crewmembers, according to the airline. The other jet was bringing 76 passengers and four crew to South Carolina.
Meng used Friday’s incident to urge the Trump administration, which is working to dismantle multiple federal agencies, to “restore all FAA jobs that keep our runways safe.”
More than 400 jobs at the Federal Aviation Administration have been eliminated by Trump’s team. The Department of Transportation claims none of those cuts impact passenger safety, though a union representative who works with federal regulators said otherwise, according to The Associated Press.
Several aviation mishaps — some deadly — have occurred since Trump returned to power in January. One of those crashes included a military helicopter colliding mid-air with an American Airlines jet near Reagan Airport, where Thursday’s incident occurred. The January collision killed all 67 people onboard both aircraft.
“This close call underscores the urgent need for more FAA funding — people’s lives are at stake,” Meeks posted on Facebook Thursday.
