According to the source, the Delta Air Lines (DL) plane was hit by the Sky Cafe Truck at the Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) in the United States.
The back of the truck damaged the Delta aircraft wing tips. Further, the company to which the truck belongs provides catering services at various US airports.
Delta Plane hit by a Truck in Atlanta
The wing tip damages take some time to repair and will probably go under the base hangar. Subsequently, for the structural repair and further evaluation of the extent of the damage.
Our Source confirmed that the plane hit by the truck is Airbus A320-211. Further, it earlier belonged to Northwest Airlines (NW), which took the delivery in May 1998, almost 25 years ago.
Now it belongs to Delta Air Lines after NW merged with the DL. The plane continues to operate, and it seems like the incident was not major.
The aircraft involved in the incident has the registration N356NW.
According to Planespotters.net, a fleet tracking and aircraft photos website, Delta has a fleet of 61 Airbus A320-200 aircraft. Further, it has a total fleet of 946 aircraft and is among the highest fleet in the world.
More details are awaited, and this is the developing story. Further, keep checking for the latest Updates.
Wing Tip Clearance Hazard
According to Skybrary, special attention is required during ground maneuvering, especially for larger aircraft with swept wings where the wingtips are not always visible from the flight deck and are subject to “swept wing growth” or “wing creep.” Further, this increases the risk of wingtip damage, leading to frequent incidents.
Designated taxiways are constructed based on the pavement strength and adjacent obstacles, and all use them or only specific types of aircraft. To avoid the risk of wingtip damage, it’s crucial for air traffic control to issue proper taxi clearance. Further, the aircraft’s flight crew must comply with clearances or standard routings.
However, the greatest risk of wingtip collision arises when aircraft are holding or maneuvering on the approach to the runway entry point. Furthermore, Large aircraft may have to move around to change the queuing order, sometimes at night and often without guidance from taxiway centrelines.
Each aircraft commander is solely responsible for ensuring aircraft safety during taxiing. Although all crew members should be aware and play a key role in avoiding ground collisions.
Sometimes, the airport operators may be aware of the risk of wingtip collisions. Subsequently, they must take steps to mitigate their liability by including statements in ATIS or NOTAM, such as “wingtip clearance is not guaranteed.”
Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Also, read Several flights are delayed as a result of storms across the United States – Aviation A2Z
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