Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer
A plane carrying at least half a dozen U.S. House members was clipped by another aircraft on the ground at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. on Thursday. Representatives Gregory Meeks, Nick LaLota, Grace Meng, and Josh Gottheimer all confirmed via social media that they aborted the plane, which was clipped. Two of them also confirmed that Representatives Adriano Espaillat and Ritchie Torres were also on board.
Meeks said, “Members of Congress were on board along with dozens of other concerned passengers.” Both planes were connected to American Airlines, according to the airline and the Federal Aviation Administration.”American Eagle flight 5490, operated by PSA Airlines, made contact on a DCA taxiway with American Eagle flight 4522, operated by Republic Airways,” American said in a statement. “Safety is our top priority, and we apologize to our customers for their experience.”
