A crash between a small plane and a box truck on a taxiway at Raleigh-Durham International Airport briefly closed the airfield on Wednesday afternoon.
A RDU spokesperson said a business jet and a truck collided, causing first responders to come to the taxiway.
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Afterwards, in a hangar, the front end damage to the plane was clear.
RDU said there were no injuries to the truck driver or the two people on board the plane.
Flight instructor Steve Welsh points out, "in incidents where a vehicle hits an aircraft the aircraft always has the right of way." Welsh also states that, "Aircraft like these have significant blind spots, where vehicles can approach the airplane form the side and my not be seen until they are pretty close to the plane."
The airfield reopened around 2:30 p.m. About 15 flights were diverted or delayed in arriving.
The collision and brief airfield closure caused a ripple effect of delays for travelers.
Several posted about the disruption on social media around 2 p.m.
A flight destined for Germany was delayed in taking off by three hours. A father from Chapel Hill said he was left waiting three hours after his daughter’s flight was diverted to Greensboro.
“I went to the ticketing agent because I couldn’t get through security," he said. He considered making the drive to pick up his daughter but was told, "Nope. Don’t even bother. They’re gonna be reboarding at some point in the near future.”
In an separate matter, an incoming aircraft called about a potential mechanical issue around the same time. That plane was able to land safely.
According to FlightAware, the jet involved in the crash belonged to Nicholas Air, a private jet company company offering memberships and fractional ownerships. The company declined to comment on the crash or potential cause tonight.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
