Early Sunday morning, a Boeing 757 jet owned by former President Donald Trump made contact with a parked aircraft at a Florida airport. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the jet’s wing clipped the rear elevator of an unoccupied VistaJet while taxiing after landing safely.
It is not confirmed whether Trump, who had been at a campaign rally in Wildwood, New Jersey, the previous Saturday, was on board at the time of the incident in West Palm Beach. No injuries were reported.
The FAA reported that the incident occurred around 1:20 a.m. local time on May 12, noting, "A privately owned Boeing 757 landed safely at West Palm Beach International Airport. While taxiing, its winglet came into contact with a parked, unoccupied corporate jet." The incident took place in a section of the airport where the FAA does not manage aircraft movements. An investigation is ongoing.
Winglets are small vertical extensions on the tips of aircraft wings designed to improve fuel efficiency by reducing drag.
The Trump campaign has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the incident. Trump resides at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach.
In related news, Trump, the leading Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election, is currently on trial in New York. The case involves allegations of hush money payments made during the 2016 election to Stormy Daniels. Trump, who has pleaded not guilty, claims the charges are politically driven.
On Tuesday, Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche began cross-examining Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer. Cohen alleges he paid Daniels $130,000 at Trump’s direction to prevent her from going public about an alleged affair. Trump denies both the affair and any involvement in the payment.