Shortly after takeoff, the plane's engine caught fire, forcing the plane to turn back. It turned out that a bird had flown into the engine shortly after takeoff. This caused a fire and flames were visible.The Hainan Airlines Boeing eventually returned safely to Rome and no one was injured.
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Delta passengers said they were left terrified after landing at Denver International Airport to find the nose cone of their airplane was severely damaged.
The flight on Monday afternoon from Detroit, and both passengers and the airline say they are mystified over what caused a huge dent in the front of the jet.
Passenger Lynn Bennett shared an image she took after departing the aircraft, and told KDVR she was in 'shock' when she first saw the damage.
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Delta passengers said they were left terrified after landing at Denver International Airport on Monday to find the front nose of their airplane was severely damaged
Passenger Lynn Bennett said she was in 'shock' when she saw the nose of the plane was dented, and said 'nobody’s kind of been able to figure out what it is'
The pilot of the aircraft did not perform an emergency landing to arrive in Denver, and it is unclear if the pilots knew their aircraft was damaged prior to landing.
Bennett said the dent was not there when the aircraft departed, and although she felt 'slight turbulence' during the flight it was 'nothing out of the ordinary.'
Upon landing, she added: 'We looked over and that’s what we saw and nobody’s kind of been able to figure out what it is.'
Delta said in a statement that the jet suffered a 'mechanical issue on the nose of the aircraft' but did not offer any more specifics over the cause.
'The flight landed safely and taxied to the gate without incident,' a spokesperson added, and said crews were able to repair the aircraft overnight.
On the jet's next scheduled flight Monday evening to Salt Lake City, the airline recruited an Airbus and apologized to passengers for a slight delay.
A Delta spokesperson has said the airline 'did not receive a report of the aircraft being struck', and said it received no reports of injuries among the 148 passengers and six crew
Delata said there were 148 passengers and six crew on board, and received no reports of injuries. As an aviation enthusiast, Bennett said she has been left bewildered by the incident.
'I think that’s the biggest, exciting part of it all kind of is: ‘What happened’?' she told KDVR.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice that prohibited U.S. airlines and other civilian aircraft from operating below 10,000 feet in Haitian airspace for 30 days. The advisory comes after jets from three U.S. airlines were struck by gunfire around the airport in Port-au-Prince on Monday.
A Spirit Airlines plane diverted to the Dominican Republic, and one crewmember was injured when it was apparently struck by gunfire while attempting to land at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Monday.
Flight NK951 was on its way from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Port-au-Prince when the incident happened, and it safely diverted to Santiago, Dominican Republic (STI).
"Following the flight’s arrival at STI, an inspection revealed evidence of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire. One Flight Attendant on board reported minor injuries and is being evaluated by medical personnel. No Guest injuries were reported," a Spirit Airlines spokesperson told USA TODAY in a statement. "The plane has been taken out of service, and we are arranging for a different aircraft to return our Guests and crew to FLL today. The safety of our Guests and Team Members is our top priority, and we have suspended our service at Port-au-Prince (PAP) and Cap-Haitien (CAP) pending further evaluation."
A JetBlue flight was also apparently hit by gunfire while departing Haiti on Monday, but it continued safely to New York and the damage was not discovered until after it arrived at JFK, according to the airline.
"On Monday, November 11, JetBlue flight 935 from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, landed safely at New York’s JFK Airport. While no issues were initially reported by the operating crew, a post-flight inspection later identified that the aircraft’s exterior had been struck by a bullet. We are actively investigating this incident in collaboration with relevant authorities," the airline said in a statement to USA TODAY.
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American Airlines said one of its planes was also discovered to have been damaged by gunshots after returning from Haiti on Monday, but no injuries were reported.
"On Monday, Nov. 11, American Airlines flight 819 from Toussaint Louverture International Airport (PAP) to Miami International Airport (MIA) landed safely and uneventfully in Miami. Out of an abundance of caution, a post-flight inspection was completed, indicating the exterior of the aircraft had been impacted by a bullet. We are working closely with all relevant authorities to investigate this incident," the airline said in a statement to USA TODAY.
American Airlines, JetBlue and Spirit, the only U.S. airlines that fly to Haiti, all have travel waivers in effect that allow passengers scheduled to fly to or from the country to change their plans at no additional cost. American said its flights to Haiti are suspended through Feb. 12.
The U.S. State Department issued a Level 4 "Do Not Travel" advisory for Haiti on Sept. 18 due to ongoing civil unrest in the country.
