Democratic Congressman Adriano Espaillat of New York on Thursday said he may consider “going Amtrak” instead of flying out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) after the plane he was traveling in clipped another aircraft.
Why It Matters
Recent airplane accidents and close calls nationwide have raised concerns of safety protocols.
DCA, in Arlington, Virginia, experienced a fatal midair collision involving a military Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet in January over the Potomac River. President Donald Trump afterward questioned whether Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives were partly to blame for the crash.
Amid the close calls and tragic accidents, air travel is still widely considered among the safest forms of transportation.
What To Know
In an email to Newsweek, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a preliminary statement: “The wingtip of American Airlines Flight 5490 struck American Airlines Flight 4522 on a taxiway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport around 12:45 p.m. local time on Thursday, April 10. 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 FAA will investigate. Please contact the airline for additional information.”
On X, formerly Twitter, Espaillat said he was on one of the planes. “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.”
Espaillat continued, “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.”
While speaking to CNN, Espaillat said, “You can’t make this up. Unbelievable. The FAA has to have greater staffing, I’m appalled that funding is being taken away from it, and this is the kind of results that you get when you don’t have an agency … working at its optimum capacity.”
The congressman was later asked about his future use of DCA: “I mean, I thought about going Amtrak and I do go Amtrak when the weather is bad. So yeah, this is kind of a dangerous place right here.”
After his inauguration in January, Trump implemented the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by billionaire Elon Musk and designed to cut government waste, fraud and abuse, according to the White House.
After the January midair collision, Musk said he wanted to make “rapid safety upgrades” to air traffic control but denied claims from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy that air traffic controllers were among the workforce cuts implemented by DOGE.
What People Are Saying
Representative Josh Gottheimer, New Jersey Democrat, who was also on one of the planes, posted to X on Thursday: “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.”
Representative Gregory Meeks, New York Democrat, who was also a passenger, posted to X: “I am safe after another plane clipped our wing while on the runway at DCA. This close call underscores the urgent need for more FAA funding—people’s lives are at stake. Cuts and firing FAA employees are not the answer. Seven members of Congress were on board along with dozens of other concerned passengers.”
Republican Congressman Nick LaLota of New York, another passenger, said on X: “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!)”
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