Delta Flight 1076: What happened when fireworks hit plane landing in Chicago? “Feeling a big explosion”
one delta Airlines plane carrying 52 passengers and six crew members was hit by fireworks as it prepared to land chicago Midway International Airport on Saturday night.
this flight Landed safely and taxied to the gate, no injuries reported.
what happened
According to reports, the flight from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport to Midway International Airport “came into contact with fireworks while descending.”
newsweek “Delta Flight 1076 from Atlanta (ATL) to Chicago (MDW) reportedly came into contact with fireworks during descent. The flight landed safely and taxied to the gate,” the report said.
A Delta spokesman also said there was no emergency landing and the plane was stopped from normal operations for inspection after arriving at the gate.
The flight departed Atlanta at 7:36 pm Eastern time and landed at Chicago Midway at 8:38 pm Central time, FlightAware reported.
The plane was struck as millions of people across the United States set off fireworks to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary.
Also read: NYC plane crash: Rescue underway in East River after seaplane crash; video surface
Pilot reports ‘big explosion’ to air traffic control
"Our plane was just hit by fireworks," pilot reportedly told air traffic control, according to a log of the incident. The pilot said the accident occurred at an altitude of approximately 200 feet.
“We were just hoping it was just a mortar going off down there, but we did feel a huge explosion,” the pilot said.
Before the incident, controllers had warned of fireworks nearby. An air traffic control official said: “Delta 1076… please be careful, there are multiple houses setting off fireworks near the approach end.”
“As you can imagine, there have been multiple reports,” the controller added. “The city is aware. They said they’re going to notify Chicago police, but you know, I don’t know what they’re going to do.”
Also read: Who is Joey Chestnut? Meet Nathan, the winner of the male division of the hot dog eating contest
Investigation is ongoing
Chicago Police Department tells police British Broadcasting Corporation The aircraft was “struck by an unknown object” and caused “minor paint damage.” The Airbus A319 was inspected after landing and no damage was found, according to the airline.
A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Newsweek the agency is investigating the incident.
The incident occurred during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, when airports across the country handle heavy traffic during the National Day holiday.
