A Delta Air Lines Airbus A350-900 struck the tail of an Air Canada Boeing 777-200LR on a taxiway at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday morning, leaving both wide-body jets grounded for inspection. Nobody was hurt.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has opened an investigation into the ground collision, which occurred at around 10:30 am local time on 6 October.

Delta Flight DL7, bound for Tokyo's Haneda Airport, was taxiing for departure when its left wingtip touched the right horizontal stabiliser of Air Canada Flight AC785, which had just arrived from Toronto.

Citing preliminary FAA information, NBC Los Angeles reported that the Air Canada aircraft was being towed to its gate and had stopped short of its stand. The A350 passed behind it, and its wingtip hit the tail.

According to LiveATC audio reported by CTV News, the Air Canada pilot told the control tower the aircraft had felt a shudder and asked whether everything looked normal from outside. The Delta crew said they had stopped because of a problem with the wingtip.

Delta confirmed that 275 passengers and 15 crew members were aboard the A350. A passenger told TMZ the collision felt like a heavy jolt followed by an abrupt stop.

Photos obtained by Aviation Safety show a large gash in the right horizontal stabiliser of the Air Canada 777. Images reported by The Bulkhead Seat show substantial damage to the Delta jet's wingtip, with part of it apparently lodged against the 777's tail section.

Air Canada spokesperson Sean Davidson said the aircraft had been withdrawn from service for inspection and repairs. Delta said its maintenance and airport teams in Los Angeles were assessing the A350, and the airline apologised to passengers for the delay.

Los Angeles World Airports, which operates the airport, pointed out that the collision took place on a taxiway, not a runway. A spokesperson confirmed there were no injuries and said flights continued to operate normally throughout the day.

The FAA will examine the towing operation, the taxi clearances issued and the separation between the two aircraft. The Air Canada jet stopping short of its gate may have left its tail further into the taxiway than the Delta crew expected.

Whether the tow team, the air traffic controllers or the A350 pilots bear responsibility will become clear only after the agency reviews ground movement data and radio transcripts.

Passengers on the Tokyo-bound flight faced long delays while Delta arranged a replacement aircraft. The incident has been logged in the Aviation Safety Network database.

Source: The Aviation Hub