A Delta Air Lines jet departing Milan Malpensa Airport on Monday had to make an emergency return after smoke started spewing from one of the plane’s two engines for a ‘prolonged period of time’ during takeoff.
The 23-year-old Boeing 767-400 departed Milan nearly an hour late as flight DL175 bound for Atlanta on July 16, but after climbing to just 3,000 feet, the pilots decided to enter a short holding pattern and make a so-called ‘overweight landing’ back at Malpensa.
None of the 234 passengers and crew onboard the aircraft were injured during the incident but the flight had to be canceled and the jet involved in this incident is still stranded on the ground in Milan more than 24 hours after it returned.
The AV Herald reports that local emergency services reported that the left-hand engine failed during takeoff, and Delta confirmed that the aircraft sustained a bird strike during takeoff.
There are also reports that the aircraft experienced a tailstrike as the pilots tried to get the plane off the ground.
Unfortunately, Delta doesn’t seem to have much luck at Milan Malpensa and this is just the latest of a series of mishaps which have befallen the Atlanta-based carrier at this airport.
In July 2023, another Delta Boeing 767 departing Milan Malpensa for New York JFK flew directly into a hail storm shortly after takeoff, prompting an emergency diversion to Rome.
Once safely on the ground, it quickly became apparent that the aircraft has sustained serious damage in the storm including punctures to the right-hand wing and radome.
The aircraft also suffered a cracked windshield, punctures to both engine spinners and damage to the fan blades on both engines as it was battered by hail.
The following month, in August 2023, another Delta jet operating as flight DL175 from Milan, encountered severe turbulence as it flew across the Atlantic. Of the 151 passengers and 14 crew members onboard, 11 had to be transported to the hospital with injuries sustained during the turbulence encounter.
In an emailed statement, Delta told us: “Delta flight DL175 on Tuesday, July 16 from Milan to Atlanta experienced a bird strike shortly after take-off.”
“The aircraft returned safely to Milan’s Malpensa Airport and passengers deplaned normally. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers and teams at MXP worked to rebook customers to their final destinations Tuesday.”
