 "Pummelled by hailstorm, New York-bound Delta flight makes emergency landing")
A Delta flight travelling from Milan to New York was forced to make an emergency landing soon after takeoff. The plane was pummeled by hail during "severe turbulence," the New York Post reported.
According to the Italian news media, the plane suffered several damage to its nose and fuselage near the wings, forcing the passenger jet to divert towards Rome.
The aircraft landed 65 minutes after its departure without suffering any further incidents, and no injuries were reported.
There were 215 passengers onboard the plane with eight flight attendants and three pilots.
A traveller from the Delta flight told ABC News that it felt like a roller coaster ride as the plane hit turbulence 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 traveller, Steven Coury, told the New York Post.
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“And that was hail pounding on the roof of the plane.”
The intense storm made the passengers worry about their safety, Steven added.
A Delta spokesperson told The Post, “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.”
The plane had severe gouges as its nose was left with a gaping hole after the hailstorm and the fuselage near the wings was also damaged.