Almost everyone is on edge after last week’s horrifying American Airlines Flight 5342 crash, in which the plane collided with a Black Hawk military helicopter on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). All 67 people on board the plane were killed, as well as the three soldiers in the helicopter.
The following day, a medical jet carrying a young girl, her mother, and four crew members crashed into a busy residential area of Philadelphia, killing everyone aboard.
And just a couple of hours ago, per KIRO, a local Seattle news station, “The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport says a Japan Airlines aircraft appears to have hit the tail of a parked Delta plane on Wednesday morning. The incident occurred just after 10:15 a.m. on the ramp between the S Concourse and the south airport maintenance hangar.”
Fortunately, no injuries have been reported at this time. Thanks to video on social media (embedded below), you can see some extensive damage to the Delta plane.
According to FlightAware.com, Japan Airlines has already canceled their flight to Tokyo (JAL67) on their 787-900 aircraft. There has been no word on the Delta flight, but it is unlikely to depart anytime soon and will likely be moved to the hangar.
A Japan Airlines plane collided with a parked Delta aircraft at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. No injuries have been reported. pic.twitter.com/SWsxKgMcAd
— NTC Report (@NTC_Report) February 5, 2025
While it’s unclear whose fault this incident is, CNN Business reports that “the US air traffic control system has been stretched nearly to its breaking point by a decades-long staffing shortage. It’s causing problems not just for the air traffic controllers who remain, but for the flying public at large. And it won’t get better any time soon. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which oversees the air traffic system, stepped up the pace of hiring in 2024 under President Joe Biden. But even though 2,000 qualified applicants were hired last year, they might only just barely replace the 1,100 who left the job either through retirement or due to the heavy toll the stressful job takes on those who enter the field.”
If you’re afraid to fly right now, it’s only natural. However, flying remains the safest mode of transportation by far. Here’s some advice on how to cope with your fear of flying.
