A Delta Airlines Airbus A350-900 clipped the tail of an Air Canada aircraft at Los Angeles International Airport at about 10:30 a.m. on October 6, 2026, while the Canadian jet was being towed to its gate. No injuries were reported.
Delta Flight 7 was taxiing for departure to Tokyo Haneda when its left wingtip struck the horizontal stabilizer, the rear tail surface, of Air Canada Flight AC785. The Air Canada flight had arrived from Toronto.
Delta said 275 customers and 15 crew members were aboard its aircraft, a total of 290 people. The Air Canada jet was taken out of service for inspection and repairs.
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The airport incident happened on a taxiway, not a runway, according to a Los Angeles International Airport spokesperson. Flights continued to operate, though reports also listed delays and cancellations later that day.
The airport spokesperson said the aircraft made contact on a taxiway and confirmed that no injuries had been reported. The spokesperson also said flights were operating normally.
The two descriptions are consistent: the Delta plane was moving under its own power toward departure, while the arriving Air Canada aircraft was being towed. The contact occurred before the Air Canada plane reached its gate.
Delta apologized for the disruption and said its teams were assessing the aircraft and arranging for affected customers. An airline spokesperson said:
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, and we apologize to our customers for the experience and delay in their travels.”
Air Canada described its aircraft’s movement and confirmed it would be withdrawn from service. A representative said the contact happened while the plane was being towed to the gate after arriving on October 6.
“There are no reported injuries. The Air Canada aircraft will be taken out of service for inspection and repairs.”
The Air Canada tail was damaged as both jets were checked
The Air Canada aircraft was identified as a Boeing 777. Initial visual accounts indicated damage to the Delta aircraft’s left wingtip and a substantial gash on the Air Canada jet’s horizontal stabilizer. Inspection would determine the full extent of the damage.
The apparent damage was visible in images and video of the aircraft after they stopped near one another. Those images did not establish the final repair requirements. Air Canada’s removal of its aircraft from service allows inspection and repairs to proceed.
Delta maintenance crews and airport teams assessed the A350-900 and worked to accommodate customers affected by the incident. The airline also said it would cooperate with investigators if the National Transportation Safety Board became involved.
Rich Prickett of Sky5, commenting on aerial footage, described what he saw:
“It looks like the winglet of the Delta plane went into the horizontal stabilizer of the Air Canada plane.”
That account was an observation of the footage, not a final assessment of the aircraft damage. The extent of the damage remained subject to inspection.
The FAA is investigating while the flight number differs in one statement
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it was investigating the ground collision. Its account placed the event at approximately 10:30 a.m. local time and described Delta Flight 7 taxiing for departure as the Air Canada aircraft was being towed.
The agency’s quoted description identified the Air Canada aircraft as Flight 875. Other accounts and the airlines’ descriptions identified it as AC785, the flight arriving from Toronto. The discrepancy appears in the flight number, not in the basic sequence of events: a Delta aircraft struck the tail of a towed Air Canada plane.
Delta said it would cooperate with the National Transportation Safety Board on any investigation. The FAA is investigating; Delta’s statement did not say that the NTSB had opened a separate inquiry.
The airport spokesperson likewise described the location as a taxiway rather than a runway. That distinction locates the contact during ground movement, as the Delta aircraft prepared to depart and the Air Canada aircraft was being moved toward its gate.
Airport flights continued, with disruption figures not tied to the collision
Airport officials said flights continued to operate normally. Separately, FlightAware data cited in an account showed 26 delayed departures and two cancellations by 1 p.m. The reported figures did not establish that the collision caused those disruptions.
The incident did delay travel for Delta customers, the airline said, and airport and maintenance teams worked to accommodate affected passengers. The reported departure totals describe activity at the airport, not a confirmed count of flights disrupted by the aircraft contact.
Air Canada’s aircraft remained out of service for inspection and repairs. Delta’s maintenance crews assessed their aircraft, while the FAA’s investigation continued.
