Federal aviation officials are investigating after the two widebody aircraft made contact while one was taxiing and the other was being towed.
LOS ANGELES — A Delta Air Lines Airbus A350 carrying 290 passengers and crew clipped the tail of an Air Canada Boeing 777 on a taxiway at Los Angeles International Airport, damaging both aircraft but causing no reported injuries, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and the airlines.
The contact happened at about 10:30 a.m. Oct. 6 as Delta Flight 7 was taxiing for departure to Tokyo and Air Canada Flight 785 was being towed toward its gate after arriving from Toronto. The FAA said the Delta aircraft’s left wingtip struck the horizontal stabilizer, a wing-like control surface on the tail of the Air Canada plane. The agency is investigating the incident.
Delta said its Airbus A350-900 was carrying 275 passengers and 15 crew members. Maintenance crews began inspecting the aircraft after the collision, and the airline worked to accommodate travelers affected by the disruption. Delta apologized to customers and said safety remained its priority.
Air Canada said its Boeing 777 had arrived from Toronto before the contact occurred. The airline removed the aircraft from service for inspection and repairs. The FAA said the Air Canada jet was being towed and had stopped short of its gate when the Delta plane’s wingtip struck its tail.
Audio between flight crews and ground controllers captured the moments after the contact. The Air Canada crew reported feeling a shudder, while the Delta crew told controllers there appeared to be an issue with the wingtip. No injuries were reported, and firefighters who checked the aircraft did not report an emergency involving the people aboard, according to published accounts of the communications.
Images taken after the incident showed damage to the Delta jet’s wingtip and the Air Canada aircraft’s horizontal stabilizer. The extent and cost of the damage had not been publicly determined as of Friday. Both aircraft required inspection before they could return to passenger service.
The collision happened on a taxiway rather than a runway. Los Angeles International Airport said flight operations continued normally despite the incident. The airport said federal safety agencies had been notified as authorities began reviewing how the two aircraft came into contact during ground operations.
The FAA’s investigation is expected to examine the positions and movements of the aircraft, air traffic and ground-control communications, and other information relevant to the collision. Federal authorities had not publicly assigned responsibility for the incident as of Friday, and no finding about its cause had been announced.
The incident involved two long-haul widebody aircraft. Delta Flight 7 was preparing for a trans-Pacific trip to Tokyo, while the Air Canada aircraft had just completed its flight from Toronto. The ground contact prevented both jets from immediately continuing normal operations, though it did not cause a broader shutdown at one of the nation’s busiest airports.
No additional injuries or major operational effects had been reported as of Oct. 9. The FAA investigation remained active, while Delta and Air Canada continued inspections and repairs involving their respective aircraft.
Author note: Last updated October 9, 2026.