A Japan Airlines aircraft collided with a Delta Air Lines plane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Wednesday morning — and footage of the crash quickly went viral.
The collision occurred at 10:17 a.m. when the right wing of Japan Airlines Flight 68 hit the tail of a Delta Boeing 737 preparing for deicing before its flight to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
“The plane just kind of jolted,” said Lida Turner, a passenger on the Japan Airlines flight. “It felt like we were in a car accident, a fender bender. I think everybody was just in disbelief.”
Brett Powers, another Japan Airlines passenger, said he heard someone yell just before impact.
“A few of us turned around to look at what was going on and then the plane came to an abrupt stop,” Powers said. “We looked out the window and realized we had contacted the Delta plane. Not a huge reaction, everybody was really calm about it – more surprised than anything else.”
Take a look —
🚨#BREAKING: A Japan Airlines jet has collided with parked Delta jet at Seattle Tacoma International Airport ⁰⁰📌#Seattle | #Washington
Watch as footage captures the moment a Japan Airlines jet collides with a parked Delta Air Lines aircraft at Seattle-Tacoma International… pic.twitter.com/qaoak9oT34
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) February 5, 2025
The Japan Airlines passengers remained on their aircraft for about two hours before being escorted down stairs and bused to the terminal.
“Understanding that’s significant when you have two planes colliding at an airport – that’s not something to take lightly,” Powers added.
Delta Air Lines confirmed their aircraft was carrying 142 passengers bound for Mexico.
“While in sequence for deicing, the tail of a Delta 737 aircraft reportedly made contact with a wing tip of another airline’s aircraft,” the airline said in a statement. “There are no reports of injuries for crew or customers on the flight, and we apologize for the experience and delay in travels.”
The Federal Aviation Administration noted the aircraft were in an area not under air traffic control when the incident occurred.
“This information is preliminary and subject to change,” the FAA said, adding they temporarily paused some flights to the airport following the collision.
Airport officials reported minimal impact on overall operations since the collision occurred away from main runways.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport advised passengers with scheduled flights to check with their airlines for potential delays. Delta announced it would work with aviation stakeholders to investigate the incident.