US investigators have impounded an Air France A380 aircraft that clipped a smaller jet at New York's John F. Kennedy airport today.
The Airbus superjumbo, the world's largest jetliner with a wingspan of almost 80 metres, hit the tail section of a Bombardier CRJ regional jet, which spun in a quarter turn on the taxiway, according to amateur video.
A CNN correspondent on the Air France flight to Paris reported that he felt a "slight rumble akin to hitting a patch of rough pavement" as the plane with over 500 people on board was moving on the ground at about 815pm local time.
The correspondent said about a foot of the Air France superjumbo's left wing appeared to be damaged.
Air France confirmed the incident and said both aircraft had been "immobilised" pending an investigation. The airline says transatlantic A380 flights will be unaffected.
"This collision caused only material damage. The two aircraft have been immobilised, and the passengers were given accommodation or placed on [other] flights," a spokeswoman for Air France said.
There were no injuries reported.
Reuters