A Delta Air Lines plane carrying 52 passengers and six crew members was hit by fireworks as it prepared to land at a Chicago airport on Saturday night, according to the airline.
The flight from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport to Midway International Airport "reportedly made contact with a firework while on descent," a spokesperson for the airline told the BBC. "The flight safely landed and taxied to the gate," they added. No injuries were suffered and the incident was reported to aviation authorities.
Pilot reports impact
Delta flight 1076 took off from Atlanta at 19:51 EDT and landed in Chicago at 20:33 CDT. "We just had a firework hit our plane," a pilot told air traffic control, a recording of the incident shows. The pilot said it had occurred at about 200 feet. "We're just hoping it was just a mortar that went off underneath, but definitely felt a big bang."
Before the incident, controllers can be heard warning of the presence of fireworks. "Delta 1076... use caution, there are multiple homes near the approach end shooting off fireworks," an air traffic control officer said.
Aircraft inspection and context
The Airbus A319 was inspected after landing with no damage found, according to the airline. The Federal Aviation Administration said the incident happened around 20:30 CDT, according to CBS News, the BBC's US partner.
The aircraft was struck as millions across the United States celebrated the nation's 250th anniversary with fireworks, part of the annual tradition to commemorate independence. The largest displays of fireworks are often organised by state and local governments, but private and often unsupervised fireworks also are commonplace.
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