A Delta Air Lines flight en route to Chicago's Midway International Airport was struck by fireworks during its landing on Saturday night. The incident involved Delta flight 1076, which was arriving from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport with 52 passengers and six crew members aboard.
The aircraft reportedly made contact with a firework approximately 200 feet above the ground as it was on descent. A pilot on the flight communicated with air traffic control, stating, "We just had a firework hit our plane," and that the event "definitely felt a big bang."
Air traffic control had previously warned the flight of fireworks being launched near the approach path. "Delta 1076... use caution, there are multiple homes near the approach end shooting off fireworks," an air traffic control officer could be heard saying.
The flight landed safely and taxied to the gate without any passengers or crew sustaining injuries. The airline confirmed that the Airbus A319 was inspected after landing and showed no damage, although the Chicago Police Department reported the aircraft "was struck by an unknown object" that caused "minor paint damage."
The incident occurred around 20:30 CDT on a night when millions across the United States were celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary with fireworks, a common tradition for the holiday. While large displays are often government-organized, private and sometimes unsupervised fireworks are also frequently used.
The Federal Aviation Administration has been informed of the event. The airline stated that the incident was reported to aviation authorities.
The A319 aircraft departed Atlanta at 19:51 EDT and arrived in Chicago at 20:33 CDT.