FAA Probe Underway After Japan Airlines 787 Wing Slices Rudder of Parked Aircraft

The incident occurred at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport as the airport faced weather challenges. [Credit: Shutterstock]

The FAA and authorities at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (KSEA) are trying to determine the events that led to the wing tip of a taxiing Japan Airlines (JAL) Boeing 787-9 striking the rudder of a parked Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 on Wednesday.

The accident happened at approximately 10:40 a.m. PST, Reuters reported. Video of the incident and aftermath was posted online, quickly going viral. No injuries were reported.

The incident occurred as the airport faced weather challenges with more that 100 flights either canceled or delayed by snow and ice in the region.

Delta Air Lines Flight 1921 from Seattle to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, was parked on a ramp between S Concourse and the south maintenance hangars awaiting deicing. According to Delta, there were 142 passengers on board the aircraft.

JAL Flight 68 was destined for Narita International Airport (RJAA) in Tokyo. The airline did not respond to FLYING's request for comment. According to technical specs from Boeing, the wingspan of the 787-9 is 197 feet.

Both aircraft were deplaned and the FAA temporarily paused flights at the airport, NBC News reported.

The Port of Seattle Fire Department and airport operations responded to the scene and helped move the damaged aircraft off the ramp. The accident is being investigated.

Delta Air Lines FAA Japan Airlines sea-tac Seattle

Meg GodlewskiAuthor

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.