The wing tip of an American Airlines plane struck another plane from the same airline on a taxiway of the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Thursday, authorities said. No injuries were reported.
The wing tip of an aircraft heading to Charleston, South Carolina, struck a plane en route to New York City about shortly before 1 p.m., according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating.
The plane to New York wasn't moving at the time, passenger and U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota said on X.
LaLota noted that U.S. Rep. Grace Meng was also aboard the flight.
“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,” LaLota’s post said. “Heading back to the gate, but thankfully everyone is ok!”
The wing tip strike comes at a time of heightened scrutiny of aircraft crashes and near-collisions. In January, an Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet landing at the airport. The crash killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft in the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster in almost a quarter century.
Roughly 80 people were on the plane to Charleston on Thursday, and 71 for the flight to New York, according to American Airlines. The company said in a statement that damage was limited to a winglet on each aircraft. It said both planes would be taken out of service for inspection and that replacement aircraft would take passengers to their destinations.
“Safety is our top priority, and we apologize to our customers for their experience,” the airline’s statement said.
Greg Gilligan, a passenger on the flight to New York, said he was able to board a new aircraft about 3:30 p.m. He said the experience had stunned him.
“I saw the plane zipping by thinking it was going fast, when it struck the wing of our plane,” Gilligan said in a text message. “It was a crazy unbelievable experience.”
FILE - Travelers walk along a concourse at Reagan National Airport on July 19, 2024, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.
Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.
“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.
"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.
Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.
Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.
Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.
At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.
Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.
Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.
After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.
“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”
Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.
Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.
His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.
“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”
Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.
FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
