A passenger jet carrying multiple members of Congress was forced to return to its gate Thursday after another plane struck its wing on the runway, lawmakers said.
The incident took place at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which has had a handful of incidents this year—like the doomed American Airlines flight 5432 that collided with a Black Hawk helicopter on approach in January, killing 67 people.
Axios reported the lawmakers on board Thursday included Reps. Grace Meng, Nick LaLota, Gregory Meeks, Adriano Espaillat, Josh Gottheimer, and Ritchie Torres. There were no reported injuries.
Two Democrats—Meng, of New York, and Gottheimer, of New Jersey—suggested the Trump administration’s cuts to the Federal Aviation Administration may be to blame.
“Just a reminder: Recent cuts to the FAA weaken our skies and public safety,” said Gottheimer.
Meng added, “I’m grateful no one was hurt today, but this incident underscores this urgent need to restore all FAA jobs that keep our runways safe.”
LaLota, a Long Island Republican, shared a photo of the plane’s wing, which did not appear damaged, and called the incident a “once in a lifetime experience.”
“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,” he wrote. “Heading back to the gate, but thankfully everyone is ok!”
LaLota added that Meng was handing out grapes to those on board.
Torres, a Democrat, 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!”
None of the lawmakers said what flight or airline they were on, but the FAA confirmed the planes involved were both operated by American Airlines. One was bound for John F. Kennedy International airport in New York and the other to Charleston, the administration said. A probe has been opened to determine a cause.
The FAA has suffered cuts since Trump returned to office, with a round of February firings including some tasked with helping maintain air safety.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy defended the cuts saying only 400 employees out of its workforce of 45,000 had been terminated.
Reagan National, also known by its airport code DCA, was under intense scrutiny for weeks after January’s fatal crash and reports that its air traffic control tower was understaffed. That scrutiny returned last month after a Delta flight narrowly avoided colliding with a U.S. Air Force jet shortly after takeoff, a close call which set off literal alarm bells in the passenger plane’s cockpit.
