A Delta Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing at JFK Airport in New York after being severely damaged in flight by an intense hailstorm on Thursday night.
The airline initially said the damage was the result of a bird strike, but later said hail may have caused the giant bump as well. The formal cause of the damage has not been formally specified, but the damage is clearly apparent.
The aircraft, an Airbus 319 from West Palm Beach was scheduled to land at La Guardia Airport, but was ultimately diverted.
The crew reported problems in particular with the in-flight navigation system, given the damage observed once on the ground.
photo-source position-absolute"> Bill Ritter | 7 WABC-TV
–
–
–
The plane took off at around 4:02 p.m. and headed north for a flight that was to last two and a half hours.
The aircraft was approaching La Guardia when the storm struck. At approximately 3,000 feet, the aircraft encountered heavy hail, causing damage to the aircraft. This is when the navigation system had problems, reports the specialized site Simpleflying.com.
So the landing had to be done more quickly. The Airbus 319 finally landed safely at 6:48 p.m.
“Delta Flight 1076 from West Palm Beach to New York-LaGuardia was diverted to New York-JFK out of caution due to a mechanical problem. The flight landed safely and without incident and the plane was examined, ”an airline spokesperson told the New York Post.
The antenna manager of 7 WABC-TV New York has also published on his Twitter account a photo of the device on the ground.
According to FlightRadar24, the aircraft in question is still on the ground. It is a device in operation for 18 years.
On many aircraft, including the A319, the tip of the aircraft’s nose is used to protect sensitive instruments involved in navigation.
