A Delta Airlines flight bound for New York was forced to make an emergency landing in Madrid Wednesday, after a hydraulics problem burst open part of the plane’s wing shortly after takeoff.
Startled passengers aboard the Boeing 767-300ER snapped pictures of the jet’s damaged wing, from which a compartment panel had fallen, exposing “mechanical innards,” writes the New York Daily News. In one picture, an unidentified mechanical component sits on the wing, next to the hole from which it appears to have burst.
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El ala del avión antes del aterrizaje de emergencia @Delta airlines Mad-NYork #desastredeltaairlines pic.twitter.com/lDD8UyKk75
— Ana Arias (@ariasanna) December 5, 2013
En el despegue ha estallado creemos que la rueda del lado derecho. Desde dentro se veía esto en el ala pic.twitter.com/ZUaUiXjEMy
— Ana Arias (@ariasanna) December 5, 2013
Delta spokesman Morgan Durrant told The Associated Press the plane landed safely, and that none of the 200 passengers or 11 crew members aboard were injured. Durrant declined to comment further, citing the ongoing investigation.
The Local, an English-language Spanish news site, pointed to a tweet from Madrid air traffic controllers which said a hydraulics issue is thought to be the cause of the wing damage.
In an emailed statement to The Huffington Post, a Delta spokesperson added:
After receiving indication of a hydraulics issue after departure, the flight crew of Delta flight 415 from Madrid to New York-JFK returned to Madrid. Upon landing, tires on the main landing gear deflated and the aircraft came to rest … safely on the airfield. Buses were dispatched to deplane customers back to the terminal. There are no reports of injuries.
Safety is always Delta’s top priority. The aircraft, a Boeing 767-300ER, is being examined by technicians. There were 200 customers and 11 crew members on the flight. Customers are being re-accommodated on other flights today.