'We just felt a shudder': Air Canada plane had just landed from Toronto when Delta jet hit its tail at Los Angeles Airport. Here's what happened

A Delta Air Lines plane "clipped" an Air Canada aircraft at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday, prompting the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to launch an investigation into the matter. The incident occurred at 10.00 am local time when Delta Air Line Flight 7, an Airbus A350, was taxiing for departure when, its left wingtip “clipped” the horizontal stabilizer of Air Canada AC 785, a Boeing 777, the FAA said. There were no reported injuries, An Air Canada spokesperson told CBC News. The FAA added that the Air Canada plane was being towed when it stopped short of its gate.

ALSO READ: Canadians are paying more for their daily protein shake as whey prices soar amid trade war with US, but is there any relief in sight?

Audio of Air Canada pilot surfaces

Amid this, an audio of Air Canada pilot has surfaced which was captured and posted by LiveATC.net. In the audio, the pilot can be heard telling an air traffic controller that they “felt a shudder” and asked whether everything looked okay. On the other hand, the Delta Air Line Flight 7 pilot


informed an air traffic controller that they were stopping due to an “issue with the wing tip.”

In separate statements, both airlines confirmed the two planes “made contact” and no injuries were reported. According to Delta, there were 275 customers and 15 crew members on board the plane at the time.

“Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, and we apologize to our customers for the experience and delay in their travels,” Delta said in a statement.

Air Canada said it was taking the plane out of service for inspection and repairs, while Delta said its maintenance crews and airport teams will be assessing the aircraft. Sean Davidson said in a statement that Air Canada Flight 785 had arrived from Toronto before "an aircraft operated by another airline made contact with its tail." He said the plane will be taken out of service for inspection and repairs.

The US agency says the Delta plane's left wingtip clipped the Air Canada aircraft's horizontal stabilizer, a wing-likestructure at the tail of a plane.

(More details to follow)