CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A Delta flight headed to Atlanta had to make an emergency landing in Chattanooga after being hit by lightning.
The flight originated from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and departed around noon, Central Time. Online flight-tracking website Flight Aware indicates Delta flight 2050 was about two hours into the flight when it was forced to land after the FAA says the pilot reported a possible lightning strike.
According to a spokesman with the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, 164 people were aboard the MD 90 aircraft when it was struck.
The FAA reports the plane was able to land safely and no one aboard was hurt in the incident.
"The aircraft will be closely inspected to determine the next steps in getting the passengers to their final destination," the airport said in a statement to WRCB.
The FAA issued a statement on Twitter saying it would also be investigating what happened.
In a statement, Delta said it re-booked passengers onto another Atlanta-bound flight set to land at 11 p.m.
Delta apologized to the passengers in a statement saying, "The safety of Delta’s customers and crew is always our top priority. The aircraft is undergoing maintenance evaluation while the airline is working to get customers to their destination as quickly as possible."
Delta said although aircraft design allows lightning to be redirected in the event that a plane is hit, their maintenance crews are still checking the plane for any issues.
The incident comes as the first wave of several days of heavy showers and storms move through northern Georgia. Flooding rains are expected to last across the northern part of the state at least through Sunday.
A flood warning is already in effect for parts of Fulton, DeKalb and Gwinnett Counties.