Delta jet lands safely after pilot reports lightning strike

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Officials say a Delta Air Lines jet has made an emergency landing in Tennessee after the pilot reported lightning had struck the plane.

The MD-90 passenger jet was heading from Milwaukee to Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon when the pilot landed at the airport in Chattanooga. Airport spokesman Albert Waterhouse says the plane landed safely and none of the 164 people on board was injured.

WTVC-TV reports the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the pilot “reported a possible lightning strike and declared an emergency.”

Waterhouse says the plane was being inspected as the airline worked to determine how to get the passengers safely to Atlanta.

The emergency landing came as storms packing heavy rain rolled across the Tennessee Valley on Tuesday.