A Delta Airlines flight to Italy turned around across the Atlantic and flew back to Boston on Sunday, landing safely at Logan Airport after a “lightning encounter” forced its return, the airline acknowledged.
The airline did not provide details about the problem that triggered the emergency, saying only that the flight to Rome had turned “out of an abundance of caution after meet lightning“, that there had been no injuries on board and that a maintenance team would “determine the full extent of the lightning encounter,” a Delta spokesperson told WFXT-TV.
“Delta flight 112 flying from Boston to Rome returned to Boston out of an abundance of caution after encountering lightning,” Delta said in a statement obtained by WCVB-TV. “The flight landed safely and without further incident.”
The Airbus A330 landed at 19:20 back at Logan, instead of continuing to Rome, its intended destination.
The The Federal Aviation Administration said it would investigatebecause commercial aircraft must be designed to withstand lightning strikes, WBTS-TV reported.
Delta told passengers they could rebook at no charge.
“Due to a mechanical problem with the aircraft, we have canceled this flight“, the airline said of its flight status for 112. “We apologize for the inconvenience.”