No injuries were reported after the Delta jet’s wingtip struck the tail of an Air Canada aircraft being towed near a gate.
LOS ANGELES, CA — A Delta Air Lines jet preparing to depart Los Angeles International Airport clipped an Air Canada aircraft on a taxiway Tuesday morning, damaging both planes and prompting a Federal Aviation Administration investigation. No injuries were reported.
The collision happened around 10:30 a.m. Oct. 6 as Delta Flight 7 was taxiing for departure to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. The FAA said the Delta plane’s left wingtip struck the horizontal stabilizer of the Air Canada aircraft, which had arrived from Toronto and was being towed toward a gate. The incident occurred on a taxiway rather than a runway, and airport officials said flights at LAX continued to operate normally.
Delta identified its aircraft as an Airbus A350-900 carrying 275 passengers and 15 crew members. The airline said maintenance crews and airport teams began assessing the aircraft after the collision and worked to accommodate affected travelers. The Tokyo-bound plane did not continue its scheduled trip in its damaged condition.
Air Canada said its aircraft had arrived from Toronto before another airline’s plane made contact with its tail while it was being towed to the gate. The aircraft, identified in multiple reports as a Boeing 777, was taken out of service for inspection and repairs. Air Canada said no injuries were reported.
Images and video from the airport showed visible damage where the aircraft made contact. Part of the Delta jet’s upturned wingtip appeared to have broken away at the Air Canada plane’s horizontal stabilizer. The horizontal stabilizer is the wing-like structure on the tail that helps control an aircraft’s pitch during flight.
“While taxiing at Los Angeles International Airport, a Delta aircraft made contact with an Air Canada aircraft,” Delta said in a statement. The airline apologized to its customers for the disruption and said safety remained its top priority.
The FAA said the Air Canada aircraft was being towed and had stopped short of its gate when the collision occurred. Authorities have not announced what caused the two aircraft to come into contact or assigned responsibility for the incident. The circumstances surrounding the aircraft movements and available clearance remained under investigation Wednesday.
Published reports differed initially on the Air Canada flight number, with some early accounts identifying it as Flight 875. Later reports citing the FAA and Air Canada identified the Toronto-to-Los Angeles service as Flight 785. The aircraft had completed its flight from Toronto before the ground collision occurred.
Los Angeles International Airport said the collision did not occur on a runway and did not cause a broader shutdown of airport operations. The FAA opened an investigation, while the National Transportation Safety Board was notified of the incident. Both aircraft were removed from normal service for inspection after the contact.
No cause had been announced as of Wednesday, and federal investigators had not publicly assigned fault. The FAA investigation is continuing as the airlines inspect the damaged aircraft and review the circumstances surrounding the taxiway collision.
Author note: Last updated October 7, 2026.