A bizarre and concerning incident took place at New York JFK Airport over a week ago. On June 17th, an ITA Airways Airbus A330-200 reportedly struck an Air France Boeing 777-200 while taxiing for departure. Unaware that it had done so, the A330 continued with its takeoff and completed its flight to Rome.

New York hit-and-run

On Friday, June 17th, an ITA Airways jet (still in Alitalia livery) was about to begin flight AZ611 from New York to Rome Fiumicino. The aircraft was an Airbus A330-200 registered EI-EJL, which is at present roughly 10 years old. Taxiing towards the runway for departure, the jet clipped an Air France Boeing 777-200, registered F-GSPQ, which had arrived from Paris CDG.

While the crew of the ITA Airways A330 was completely oblivious to a collision, the Air France jet was well-aware of what had happened. Reacting quickly, the 777's crew urged ATC to keep the ITA aircraft on the ground.

"This is Air France 008, we are on stand nine and there was an Alitalia passing behind us that hit our aircraft. It's so you can tell them not to take off." -Air France pilot

However, by the time the situation was understood by ATC, the A330 was already in the air and on its way across the Atlantic. ATC contacted the ITA Airways jet and asked about the incident, but the crew denied that it had been involved in any kind of incident while taxiing towards take-off. The following conversation took place between air traffic control and the ITA Airways jet:

ATC: "Another aircraft on the ground currently, Air France, said you hit them or something of that nature while you were taxiing. Did you experience any damage to the aircraft?"

ITA Airways Pilot: "Negative, sir."

Flight Az611
The aircraft continued flying to Rome after the incident. Photo: FlightRadar24.com

Damage discovered upon landing in Rome

While the ITA Airways crew may have denied that any collision occurred (and genuinely believed this to be the case), it would ultimately prove to be false. According to reporting from ABC News, upon landing in Rome, wing damage was discovered on the A330.

Details of the specific damage and its severity were not disclosed. However, we do know that the Air France jet is still parked at New York JFK. At the time of this article's publication, over eight days have passed. This length of time could indicate severe damage to the 777. As for the ITA A330, the aircraft touched down in Rome on June 18th and was on the ground for roughly two days. Seemingly an "easy fix," the jet's next service would be a flight to Tel Aviv, with subsequent flights taking place almost every day since.

Air France 777-200
The Air France jet has spent over a week on the ground. Photo: Anna Zvereva via Wikimedia Commons

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Disregarding protocol?

Speaking to ABC News, aviation analyst John Nance states that the responsibility of the ITA Airways crew was clear upon being informed of a collision: "He absolutely should have turned the airplane around, brought it back to JFK for inspection."

Indeed, with long-haul commercial aircraft being as large as they are, pilots may not notice incidents if they are minor enough. However, with the A330 departing with a cabin full of passengers, it's interesting that none of these travelers even noticed the incident. Or, if they did notice, then perhaps failed to inform any of the airline crew.

The FAA and ITA Airways are investigating the incident.

What's your reaction to this incident and the actions of ATC and the ITA Airways crew? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Source: ABC News