A Delta Airlines flight from Milan to New York JFK was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff. According to a report by New York Post, the plane was pummeled by hail during "severe turbulence". The plan was diverted to Rome on Monday after it suffered damage to the nose and fuselage near the wings.
The flight sustained substantial damage to its right-hand wing, both engines, radome, and along the leading edges of the wings. The aircraft landed without further incident 65 minutes after departure. No onboard injuries were reported.
The photos show large holes in the nose cone and wing following the hailstorm.
According to ABC News, the flight had 215 passengers onboard, as well as three pilots and eight flight attendants.
One traveller told the media outlet that the plane was hit with turbulence that felt like a roller coaster ride just 15 minutes after takeoff.
We take off, it's a normal takeoff, we get into the air a few minutes later, we encounter severe turbulence and we all hear noise we've never heard before," Steven Coury said. "And that was hail pounding on the roof of the plane. One passenger looked out the window and saw the wing shaking violently like it was gonna break off. Look, I saw flashes of light like lightning hitting the plane. And the turbulence was like being on a roller coaster ride dropping significantly."
Mr Coury told the media outlet that the nose of the plane was punched out which may have damaged the navigation system.
He also mentioned that both engines were damaged as one had a hole in it and another appeared damaged.
In a statement, Delta Airlines said, "Delta flight 185 from Milan to New York-JFK diverted to Rome after experiencing an apparent weather-related maintenance issue shortly after departure. The flight landed safely in Rome where passengers deplaned normally and where maintenance personnel is conducting a thorough evaluation of the aircraft. Delta apologizes for the delay in our customers' journey. The safety of our customers and crew is Delta's top priority."
