ONLY APPROPRIATE THAT HE WOULD BE THERE. >>> ALL RIGHT. WE WILL START WITH A FRIGHTENING INCIDENT AT THE NATION'S BUSIEST AIRPORT. >> TWO PLANES COLLIDED YESTERDAY, AND IT SEVERITY DAMAGED ONE OF THOSE PLANES AND ALSO RATTLED PASSENGERS. TOM COSTELLO IS IN ATLANTA WITH NEW DETAILS ON WHAT EXACTLY WENT WRONG. TOM, WHAT DO WE KNOW? >> Reporter: WE TALKED IN RECENT YEARS ABOUT CLOSE CALLS ON RUNWAYS. PLANES GET TOO CLOSE TO EACH OTHER. THEY CALL IT A NARROW MISS OR NEAR MISS AT TIMES. THOSE ARE RUNWAY INCURSIONS. THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED HERE. TWO PLANES MOVING VERY SLOWLY. SOMEBODY MISCALCULATED EITHER IN THE TOWER OR THE COCKPIT, BUT THAT CAUSED ABSOLUTELY CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE. AT THE NATION'S BUSIEST AIRPORT, A SLOW SPEED BUT HIGH-IMPACT ACCIDENT AND A LOT OF DAMAGE. IT HAPPENED BETWEEN DELTA NIGHT 295 AND DENVER AIRWAYS FLIGHT 5526 OF DELTA REGIONAL JET. THE IMPACT FROM THE LARGER PLANE LITERALLY SHEERED THE TAIL OFF THE SMALLER AIRCRAFT. THOUGH, THE CREW WASN'T SURE WHAT HAPPENED. >> WE JUST HIT SOMETHING ON THE TAXI WAY. COULD YOU TELL US WHAT IT WAS? >> Reporter: IT WAS AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL THAT ADVISED THE PILOTS OF BOTH PLANES TO STAY PUT. >> IT'S GOING TO NEED THE PASS FROM THE AIRCRAFT. IT JUST APPEARS THAT IT'S COMPLETELY DETACHED. >> Reporter: FLIGHT 295 AND AIRBUS 350, DELTA'S LARGEST PLANE WITH THE WINGSPAN OF JUST OVER 212 FEET WAS TAXIING FOR TAKEOFF SHORTLY AFTER 10:00 A.M. HEADED FOR TOKYO WHEN ITS WING COLLIDED WITH THE TAIL OF ONE OF DELTA'S COMMUTER FLIGHTS. NATHAN PIKE, A PRODUCER FROM NBC'S KANSAS CITY AFFILIATE WAS ONBOARD THE SMALLER PLANE WHEN IT WAS STRUCK. >> WHEN YOU ARE ON THE INTERSTATE AND YOU HIT THE RUMBLE STRIPS, AND IT GOT LOUDER AND MORE VIOLENT. YOU COULD HEAR THE METAL SCRAPING ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE PLANE. IT WAS SHAKING REAL BADLY. >> Reporter: RAY WAS ON A NEARBY PLANE AND SAW THE AFTERMATH. >> IT WAS A DAVID AND DOE LIE YACHT SITUATION. YOU COULD TELL WHICH ONE GOT THE WORST OF THE DAMAGE. >> Reporter: NO INJURIES. ALL PASSENGERS WERE REBOOKED AND THE AIRPORT REPORTED MINIMAL IMPACT ON OPERATIONS. >> THIS IS TOO EARLY TO TELL RIGHT NOW WHETHER AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL PROPERLY DID ITS JOB OR WHETHER THE AIRBUS 8350 CREW DID ITS JOB OR WAS IT A COMBINATION OF THE BOTH? >> Reporter: REGARDLESS OF WHO IS TO BLAME, THEY ARE JUST HAPPY TO BE SAFE. >> THE ADRENALINE HAS WORN OFF NOW. RIGHT NOW I JUST WANT TO BE WITH MY FAMILY. >> TOM, YOU MENTIONED THE INVESTIGATIONS THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN LAUNCHED. DO WE KNOW AT THIS POINT WHAT THEY WILL BE FOCUSED ON? >> WE WILL BE LISTENING TO THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDERS, WHAT WAS SAID IN THE COCKPIT, WHAT WAS THE DIRECTION OR THE INSTRUCTION FROM AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL? VERY OFTEN INCIDENTS INVOLVE A CHAIN OF ACTIONS, NOT JUST ONE THING BUT SEVERAL THINGS THAT HAPPEN ALL AT ONCE. BUT, CRAIG, I THINK WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS PLANE AND THE DAMAGE TO THAT, THAT REGIONAL JET, THAT LOOKS LIKE IT MAY NOT BE SALVAGEABLE. SO DELTA IS ALSO COOPERATING.