This could’ve ended badly.
On Saturday night, a Delta Air Lines flight was struck by a firework.
The incident occurred as the flight was attempting to land at Midway International Airport in Chicago.
CBS News had more details on the incident and revealed if anyone was hurt:
A Delta Air Lines flight landing in Chicago was hit by a firework as it was coming to land at Midway International Airport on Saturday.
The Federal Aviation Administration said just around 8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 4, the pilot reported that a fireworks mortar struck the aircraft while on descent just before landing.
The plane, Delta Flight 1076, was heading into Midway from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Air traffic control audio indicated that the flight crew felt a big bang, and hoped it was just a mortar that went off underneath the plane. The ATC audio indicated that Chicago police were notified.
The aircraft, an Airbus A319, landed safely and taxied to the gate, Delta said.
Chicago police said the firework caused minor paint damage. On Sunday, the plane was under evaluation to make sure there was no damage done, Delta said.
Listen to the pilot’s cockpit audio here:
A Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 arriving from Atlanta to Chicago Midway reported being struck by a firework during its approach on July 4. In ATC audio, the crew tell the tower, “We just had a firework hit our plane,” before later adding they heard a bang on the aircraft and would… pic.twitter.com/UvKw4yi46Y
— Flightdrama (@flightdrama) July 5, 2026
That wasn’t the only late night firework drama in Chicago on the Fourth of July.
A video on X shows a group of people setting off fireworks towards Trump International Hotel.
Last night in Chicago, fireworks were shot off, but not where most Trump supporters would hope.
These were directly shot at the Trump building. Chicago hates Trump. pic.twitter.com/55TaA1fWxG
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) July 5, 2026
Outside of Chicago and in New York the Brooklyn Bridge received a scare.
The New York Post reported a firework caught the Brooklyn Bridge on fire:
Flames erupted on the Brooklyn Bridge as fireworks were being shot from it during Macy’s July 4 display over the East River.
Video shows a plume of smoke emerging from a flaming section of the bridge as fireworks soar and burst around it Saturday night. Two other sections also appeared to burn as the pyrotechnics were being shot from the span.
“At first I thought it was supposed to happen but then I was scared it would exploded. I thought the bridge was made of wood so I was scared,” said Nearing Khoula, 24, from France, who was watching the display from the Brooklyn waterfront.
“There were four at the same time. Some extra fireworks exploded due to the fire.”
“It started as a small fire and got bigger. There was too much black smoke,” added Mohamed Shaban, 31, of Egypt.
ADVERTISEMENTAll the fires burned out after a minute, a Post reporter observed.
Fire breaks out on Brooklyn Bridge following fireworks display https://t.co/sXqV7DqZkM pic.twitter.com/wv7klvc9Z7
— New York Post (@nypost) July 5, 2026


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