Delta Air Lines plane hit by fireworks as it lands in Chicago on July 4; no casualties reported: Details | Today’s news
As Americans across the country celebrated the Fourth of July with great fervor, a Delta Air Lines flight was hit by fireworks as it landed in Chicago, the airline said Sunday (local time).
Here’s what we know
On Saturday evening, shortly before landing at Chicago International Airport, the pilot of Delta Flight 1076 informed air traffic controllers that the plane had been hit by fireworks during descent. Citing an audio recording posted online by LiveATC.net, the AP said the pilot described hearing a “big bang” on the commercial airliner.
According to the recording, the incident occurred when the plane was flying at an altitude of approximately 200 to 250 feet. The pilot said the crew initially believed the loud bang “was just a mortar going off,” referring to the launch tube used to launch aerial fireworks.
Despite the incident, the flight, which took off from Atlanta with 52 passengers and six crew members on board, landed safely shortly after 8:30 p.m. local time, according to both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the airline.
The incident caused no injuries on board and there were no signs of damage to the Airbus A319, the company said after mechanics inspected the commercial airliner.
The FAA said it would investigate the incident. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether any other aircraft were hit by fireworks on July 4. According to LiveATC.net, an air traffic controller said there had been several reports of such encounters, adding that Chicago city officials were on alert.
However, this was not the only incident that marred the Fourth of July celebrations.
Several cities reported shooting on the 4th of July
Several cities reported shooting incidents as Americans flocked to celebrate the 250th anniversary, NBC News reported. At least six dead and dozens injured were reported. A masked man opened fire at a family barbecue in Brooklyn, New York, injuring at least eight people, including four children. New York City police said that while seven victims are expected to survive, a 21-year-old woman remains in critical condition after being shot in the chest. The shooter is on the run and authorities are working to capture him.
In Florida, a shooting was reported after one o’clock in the morning in downtown Pensacola, which left a 19-year-old dead and at least six others injured. Pensacola Police Chief Eric Winstrom noted that the shooting appeared to be targeted and that many young people, some as young as middle school age, were out unaccompanied that evening. He added: “The youngest victim in this case was 16. The age range was 16 to 26 of the seven victims – very young, innocent children.”
Another incident occurred in Fort Wayne, Indiana, around 3:00 a.m. Sunday, in which one woman died while eight others were treated for non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.
Several other incidents were reported in Chino and Compton, California; Gary, Indiana; and Dayton and Canton, Ohio. Investigators across the country are working to catch those behind these attacks.
