A Delta Air Lines flight carrying 52 passengers and six crew members was struck by a falling firework as it prepared to land at Chicago’s Midway International Airport on Saturday night.
The incident was reported to the FAA and the Chicago Police Department. According to Delta, the aircraft landed safely, taxied to the gate, and no injuries were reported; only minor paint damage was noted.
Flight 1076 departed Atlanta at 19:51 EDT and arrived in Chicago at 20:33 CDT. Air‑traffic control recorded a pilot’s radio call: "We just had a firework hit our plane. It was about 200 ft; we’re hoping it was just a mortar that went off underneath but definitely felt a big bang."
Controllers warned pilots of fireworks in the approach area: "Use caution, there are multiple homes near the approach end shooting off fireworks." The Chicago Police pulled the incident under the umbrella of an unknown object strike, noting the aircraft suffered only cosmetic impact.
While large displays are typically organised by government and military units (such as Washington National’s 40‑minute show for the national anniversary), privately launched fireworks remain widespread and often unsupervised, creating both safety hazards for air traffic and additional greenhouse‑gas and particulate emissions that contribute to local air pollution.
Incidents like Delta 1076’s underscore the need for stricter regulation of private pyrotechnics during major celebrations, aiming to protect both human life and the planet’s climate integrity.
