These are the stories for today...
Be safe out there!
Tom
-
Two Delta planes collide — ripping off wing — while taxiing at LaGuardia Airport as passenger describes moment flights ‘absolutely smashed’
By Zoe Hussain and Richard Pollina
Two packed Delta jets “absolutely smashed” into
each other on the runway at LaGuardia Airport Wednesday night, according to authorities and terrified passengers — destroying a plane’s nose and ripping off a large part of a wing.
The saga unfolded when the wing of an aircraft carrying 32 people that was departing for Roanoke, Virginia, suddenly collided with the fuselage of an aircraft arriving from Charlotte, North Carolina, with 61 people aboard just before 10 p.m., Delta said in a statement.
“Their right wing clipped our nose and the cockpit. We have damage to our windscreen and… some of our screens in here,” one pilot could be heard saying in air traffic control audio.
Photos from the scene showed one of the plane’s
windshields completely shattered and its nose banged up in the wake of the collision.
A huge part of a jet’s wing was also torn off.
“We got absolutely smashed by another Delta flight. I don’t know if we hit them or they hit us, but it was super jarring,” CBS News producer Joey Annunziato, a passenger on the flight from Charlotte, said in a video recorded from his seat just moments after impact.
“Everyone shot forward in their seats and it was kind of a little chaotic as soon as it happened. We were shocked at what happened.”
Annunziato added that his plane was moving at a “decent clip” when the collision unfolded.
Another passenger, William Lusk, told ABC that his plane suddenly “stopped, jerked, and jumped to the right” just after it landed.
”Everyone went dead silent. And as everyone went dead silent, the pilot calmly came on and said, ‘Hey, we’ve been in a crash, everyone remain calm’,” he told the outlet.
Despite the damage to the jets, miraculously, no
passengers were injured during the collision, the airline said.
A flight attendant on board one of the aircraft suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital in the wake of the saga, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Photos and videos posted to social media captured emergency vehicles rushing toward the two regional jets, operated by Endeavor Air, in the immediate aftermath.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the mishap, which unfolded within the first 24 hours of the government shutdown that has upended federal services.
Prior to the shutdown, airlines had warned that the shutdown could strain US aviation and potentially slow flights given Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers would be among those workers forced to work without pay.
It wasn’t clear if staffing levels at LaGuardia were impacted at the time of Wednesday’s collision.
The Post reached out to the FAA but didn’t hear back immediately.
The Port Authority said LaGuardia’s airport operations weren’t impacted by the collision.
Meanwhile, Delta vowed to work with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board to probe the incident.
“Delta teams at our New York-LaGuardia hub are working to ensure our customers are taken care of after two Delta Connection aircraft operated by Endeavor Air were involved in a low-speed collision during taxi,” the airline said in a statement.
“Delta will work with all relevant authorities to review what occurred as the safety of our customers and people comes before all else. We apologize to our customers for the experience.”
https://nypost.com/2025/10/02/us-news/nyc-delta-jets-collide-at-laguardia-airport/
Small plane crash-lands on Colorado Springs road
No one on board the plane was injured, according to the Colorado Springs Fire Department
By Lauren Penington | lpenington@denverpost.com
A single-engine plane carrying three people crash-
landed early Wednesday on a road in Colorado Springs, according to law enforcement.
The pilot made an emergency landing on Powers Boulevard near Barnes Road, where the plane was leaking fuel, according to a 4:38 a.m. post from the Colorado Springs Fire Department. It’s unknown what forced the pilot to land.
None of the three people on board the plane was injured, according to fire officials. Photos posted by the fire department show damage to the plane’s wings and tail.
Two lanes of southbound Powers Boulevard were closed Wednesday morning for the cleanup and investigation, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department.
The Federal Aviation Administration was responding to investigate the crash, fire officials said.
https://www.denverpost.com/2025/10/01/colorado-springs-plane-crash-emergency-landing/
Amazon pauses Prime Air after 2 drones crash in Tolleson, sources say
FAA to investigate
By Ben Bradley
TOLLESON, AZ (AZFamily) — Amazon is pausing
its drone delivery system after two of its drones crashed into a crane in Tolleson on Wednesday morning, sources say.
The collisions happened within moments of each other just after 10 a.m. at a business park near 97th Avenue and Roosevelt Street, south of Interstate 10. Tolleson police responded alongside fire crews from Tolleson and Avondale.
Based on a preliminary investigation by the Tolleson police and fire departments, the two drones were flying northeast back-to-back when they both struck an extended crane being used for roof work at a business.
Police said one drone hit the ground in the same parking lot near the crane, while the second came down in the parking lot of a different business. No injuries were reported.
Video from the scene shows a badly damaged drone outside a building with multiple fire crews on scene.
Sources said Prime Air drone operations are currently paused. It’s unclear when they’ll resume.
Amazon Prime Air uses drones to fly packages to customers and was launched in 2022.
Tolleson police confirmed the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is now investigating. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it is also looking into the collision.
“Two MK30 drones collided with the boom of a crane in Tolleson, Arizona, around 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Oct. 1. No injuries were reported. The FAA will investigate,” the FAA said in a statement to Arizona’s Family.
Amazon released the following statement on Wednesday afternoon:
“We’re aware of an incident involving two Prime Air drones in Tolleson, Arizona. We’re currently working with the relevant authorities to investigate.”
Terrence Clark, spokesperson for Amazon
https://www.azfamily.com/2025/10/01/amazon-pauses-prime-air-after-2-drones-crash-tolleson-sources-say/
NTSB Final Report: Powrachute LLC Airwolf
Pilot... Attempted To Enter The Right Side Of The Aircraft And Inadvertently Sat On The Throttle Control
Location: Erie, Colorado Incident Number: CEN23LA413
Date & Time: September 20, 2023, 09:10 Local Registration: N820PP
Aircraft: Powrachute LLC Airwolf Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of control on ground Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
Analysis: Security camera video footage showed the pilot fuel the powered parachute and then start the engine. The pilot then attempted to enter the right side of the aircraft and inadvertently sat on the throttle control, bending it into the “full throttle” position. The pilot was never strapped into the seat with the four-point restraint system and the aircraft departed across the airport. The aircraft entered a grass field, impacted terrain, cartwheeled, and the pilot was ejected. The aircraft came to rest upright, with a nose-high attitude, in the grass field. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, with substantial damage to the airframe tubing.
Postaccident examination confirmed flight and engine control continuity. The bent throttle control was found in the “full throttle” position, intact and connected to the airframe. The two four-point restraint systems for the aircraft were found in a stowed and secured (latched closed) position. The ignition key was found inserted, and it was found at the “on” position.
The wing was found folded up and not in a deployed configuration. There were no mechanical issues noted with the airframe or the engine during the onsite examination. Tramadol, a prescription opioid pain medication and a federal Schedule IV-controlled substance, is available in the United States only as a medication taken by mouth. It is unlikely that the pilot received tramadol as part of his postincident care as he was intubated and not able to swallow. The effects of tramadol and potential impairment for the pilot could not be determined based on the medical information available.
It is likely that etomidate and fentanyl was given as part of the pilot’s postincident medical care and did not affect his performance at the time of the incident. The autopsy’s description of a small white metal medical device located in the pilot’s ventricle on autopsy is consistent with a leadless pacemaker. The pilot had a cardiac condition that may have increased his risk for an adverse cardiac event such as an arrhythmia. There is no autopsy evidence that such an event occurred. However, such an event does not leave reliable autopsy evidence if it occurs immediately before death. Having a pacemaker would have mitigated the risk to some degree.
The pilot inadvertently sat on the throttle control inadvertently while the engine was operating. The throttle was moved to the “full throttle” position by the pilot’s body and the aircraft traveled across the airport on the ground. The pilot was likely warming up the engine; however, he was likely not intending to fly based upon the available evidence.
Probable Cause and Findings: The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this incident to be -- The pilot’s inadvertent manipulation of the throttle, which resulted in the aircraft traveling on the ground and the unsecured pilot being ejected from the aircraft and sustaining fatal injuries.
FMI: www.ntsb.gov
Today in History
35 Years ago today: On 2 October 1990 Xiamen Airlines flight 8301, a Boeing 737-200, struck two aircraft during an attempted landing at Guangzhou-Baiyun Airport, China, after being hijacking, killing 82 occupants and 46 persons on another aircraft.
| Date: | Tuesday 2 October 1990 |
| Time: | 09:04 |
| Type: | Boeing 737-247 |
| Owner/operator: | Xiamen Airlines |
| Registration: | B-2510 |
| MSN: | 23189/1072 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1984 |
| Engine model: | P&W JT8D-17A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 82 / Occupants: 102 |
| Other fatalities: | 46 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Location: | Guangzhou-Baiyun Airport (CAN) - China |
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Xiamen Airport (XMN/ZSAM) |
| Destination airport: | Guangzhou-Baiyun Airport (CAN/ZGGG) |
| Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:
Xiamen Airlines flight 8301, a Boeing 737-200, struck two aircraft during an attempted landing at Guangzhou-Baiyun Airport, China, after being hijacking, killing 82 occupants and 46 persons on another aircraft.
Flight MF8301 took off from Xiamen (XMN), China at 06:57 for a domestic flight to Guangzhou (CAN). There were nine crew members and 93 passengers on board.
Shortly after takeoff a man, who had been sitting in the 16th row, suddenly rushed forward. He forced his way into the cockpit, telling the crew he had 7 kg of explosives strapped to his body. He ordered the crew to fly to Taiwan. All cockpit crewmembers then had to leave the cockpit, with the captain remaining in his seat. The airplane had just enough fuel to reach Hong Kong, but the hijacker threatened to blow up the plane if the captain would land in Hong Kong. The airplane was running out of fuel and the captain had to make an emergency landing at Guangzhou.
During landing or in the final phase of the approach a struggle took place in the cockpit. The Boeing touched down hard and swung to the right. It clipped a parked China Southwest Airlines Boeing 707 (B-2402) plane, ripping open the cockpit. The 737 continued and struck the left wing and centre fuselage of a China Southern Boeing 757 (B-2812) which was waiting for takeoff clearance. It then flipped over and broke apart. A fire broke out.
A total of 120 occupants of both aircraft were killed. Eight people later died in hospital. Among the fatalities, 82 victims came from B-2510 and 46 from B-2812.
The hijacker was a 21-year old male. No explosives were found on his body. He was wanted by the local police from Linli County because he had stolen 17,000 yuan (US 3,600 by 1990 standards) from his company.
