Around 5 a.m. (ET) today, a Delta Air Lines plane rolled off a taxiway and down an embankment on the east side of the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia. This Boeing 737-700 was undergoing maintenance and engine testing by two Delta mechanics this morning when an issue arose with the plane’s braking system causing the plane to move and eventually roll off Taxiway E into a nearby embankment.
Zero injuries have been reported. There were no passengers on the plane at the time because it was not scheduled for an outgoing flight today. The aircraft was at its scheduled test at the Delta Atlanta hub. Eric Torbenson, a Delta Lines spokesman, said that the plane “sustained significant damage” when it crashed on its side but the extent of the damage has not yet been determined.
A runway near the incident was closed earlier today while the crew worked to move the “disabled aircraft”. Delays of about thirty to forty five minutes were reported around noon. According to the Journal-Constitution, flights were departing but not arriving on that runway.
By this afternoon, a crane arrived at the scene to remove the plane from the embankment. The cause of the plane’s brake failure is undetermined, and the plane has been taken to a maintenance facility to undergo a full structural investigation.
If you or someone you know has been injured while aboard an aircraft, contact the attorneys at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or 713-222-7211.