Delta Plane's Wing Clips Runway At Laguardia Airport

Common flight maneuvers that might feel unsettling but are normal

Here are three surprising flight maneuvers that feel dangerous but are completely safe.

A regional jet operating a flight for Delta Air Lines had its wing clip the runway at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday while executing a routine maneuver as it prepared to land.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident and confirmed the details of what happened.

"The left-wing of Endeavor Air Flight 4814 struck the runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York while the pilot was executing a go-around due to an unstable approach. The incident occurred around 10:10 p.m. local time on Sunday, March 16," the agency said in a statement.

The plane was en route to New York from Jacksonville, Florida.

Delta also acknowledged the incident in a statement and said the aircraft has been pulled from service for evaluation by its maintenance teams.

“The Endeavor Air flight crew followed established procedures to safely enact a go-around at New York-LaGuardia. The aircraft landed safely and proceeded to its arrival gate. We apologize to our customers for the experience," Delta's statement said.

Go-arounds are fairly common in commercial flights. When a pilot determines the plane can't safely land in given flight conditions, they are empowered to abort the landing and try again. Because go-arounds often involve rapid climb and acceleration, they can be jarring for passengers, but pilots are trained to execute them safely.

Air traffic controllers can also call for a go-around if they are concerned about the conditions for landing.

The plane was carrying 76 passengers and four crewmembers, and no injuries were reported.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.