Delta CRJ900 Back In Service A Year After A350 Collision

A CRJ-900 struck by a much larger Airbus A350-900 is back in action a year after the accident, flying regional services on behalf of Delta Air Lines, operated by Endeavor Air. While the latter suffered damage to the wing, the smaller regional jet had its entire vertical stabilizer (along with the horizontal stabilizer) knocked off the fuselage.

This resulted in the subsequent year-long hiatus from commercial operations. The collision occurred in September 2024, and while both aircraft involved are now back in commercial operation, the investigation is currently ongoing.

CRJ-900 – Back In Commercial Service

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After being struck by a Delta Air Lines A350-900 aircraft on the ground at Atlanta Airport in September 2024, the damage incurred was severe enough to send the aircraft out of action for 12 months. The Bombardier CRJ-900, belonging to Endeavor Air, was operating a Delta Connection flight on its way to Lafayette Regional Airport at the time of the incident.

However, last month, the aircraft first appeared to be briefly activated on FlightRadar24 on September 13, and a week later, on September 20, the aircraft performed what appears to be a test flight lasting one hour and 38 minutes, with the aircraft taking off and returning to Atlanta. On September 24 and October 6, the aircraft appears to have conducted two more non-commercial flights, flying from Atlanta to Macon and from Macon to Wausau, respectively.

Since then, the aircraft appears to have entered commercial service with the carrier, with the aircraft arriving in Minneapolis on Friday, October 10, from where the jet has been operating services to and from Fargo, Cincinnati, and Des Moines.

Recap: Delta A350 Collides With Endeavor CRJ-900

Credit: Simple Flying

Over a year ago, on September 10, 2024, an Airbus A350 operated by Delta Air Lines collided with an Endeavor Air CRJ-900 regional jet at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). While the A350 suffered some damage to its wing, the CRJ-900 experienced more significant damage with its entire T-Tail structure dislocated from the fuselage.

Considering the collision took place on the ground and while taxiing, despite the severe structural damage suffered by both aircraft, no passengers or crew members from either aircraft were injured. After the incident, an airline spokesperson commented the following to ABC News:

“Passengers from one of the aircraft are being bussed from the incident to the concourses. The second aircraft taxied under its own power to a concourse where passengers will deplane at their gate.”

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is still investigating the incident. As per the preliminary investigation, the A350 was taxiing while the CRJ was stationary at the time of the collision, while the NTSB notes that visibility at the time was normal.

About Endeavor Air And Its Fleet

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Endeavor Air is Delta’s subsidiary, operating as Delta Connection under the airline’s brand, providing regional connectivity across the US, Canada, and the Caribbean, from various Delta mainline hubs. The operator’s fleet consists of CRJ-700s and CRJ-900s, which are configured in the following manner:

However, it is worth noting that Delta Air Lines has more regional aircraft types, which are utilized by other Delta Connection operators, and the seat configuration can vary between each operator.

These operators essentially offer flight services to regional/short-hop destinations that either see low demand, making aircraft such as the Airbus A220 or A319s unprofitable on those routes, or destinations that require higher frequency over capacity, for which the regional Bombardier and Embraer Jets are most suited.