A Delta Air Lines plane carrying 52 passengers and six crew members was hit by a firework as it prepared to land at Chicago’s Midway International Airport on Saturday night.
The flight safely landed and taxied to the gate and no injuries were reported.
What happened
The flight from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport to Midway International Airport “reportedly made contact with a firework while on descent.”
Newsweek reported, “Delta flight 1076 from Atlanta (ATL) to Chicago (MDW) reportedly made contact with a firework while on descent. The flight safely landed and taxied to the gate.”
A Delta spokesperson also said there was no emergency landing and the plane was taken out of normal operations for inspection after arriving at the gate.
According to FlightAware, the flight departed Atlanta at 7:36pm ET and landed at Chicago Midway at 8:38pm CT.
The aircraft was struck as millions across the US celebrated the nation’s 250th anniversary with fireworks.
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Pilot reports ‘big bang’ to air traffic control
“We just had a firework hit our plane,” a pilot told air traffic control, according to a recording of the incident, as per reports. The pilot said it had occurred at about 200ft.
“We’re just hoping it was just a mortar that went off underneath but definitely felt a big bang,” the pilot said.
Before the incident, controllers had warned of fireworks nearby. “Delta 1076… use caution, there are multiple homes near the approach end shooting off fireworks,” an air traffic control officer said.
“There have been multiple reports as you can imagine,” the controller added. “The city is aware. They said they would notify the Chicago police, but you know, I don’t know what they will do.”
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Investigation underway
The Chicago Police Department told the BBC the aircraft “was struck by an unknown object” and that it caused “minor paint damage.” The Airbus A319 was inspected after landing with no damage found, according to the airline.
A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Newsweek the agency is investigating the incident.
The incident came during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, as airports across the country handled heavy Fourth of July holiday traffic.
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