Probable cause
The flight crew's failure to adequately monitor and maintain clearance from a parked aircraft while taxiing. Contributing to the accident was an improperly parked airplane that encroached upon the taxiway area.
NTSB analysis
Following push back from the gate, as the captain was taxiing the airplane from the ramp to the runway, the left horizontal stabilizer struck the right horizontal stabilizer of a parked company airplane at an adjacent gate, resulting in substantial damage to both airplanes' flight control surfaces. According to the flight crew statements and a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who responded to the accident site, the parked airplane had been improperly parked with the right wing tip and horizontal stabilizer well outside the safety lines.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR09LA255 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- May 21, 2009
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Los Angeles, California
- Nearest airport
- Los Angeles Int'L Airport (LAX)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Embraer EMB-135
- N-number
- N843AE
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 121 (airline)
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.