FAA: Delta Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Atlanta

ATLANTA - A Delta flight bound for Los Angeles from Atlanta was forced to tu around due to engine problems.

According to FAA Spokesperson Kathleen Bergen, Delta Flight 125 took off around 6:10 p.m. Sunday and was en route to LAX when one of the engines failed. The pilot declared an emergency and retued back to Hartsfield Jackson Inteational Airport. The tail of the 767 scraped the runway upon landing, but no injuries were reported. The runway was shutdown for a brief period so airport operations crews could inspect it for damage and possible debris.

A Delta spokesperson said the plane, with 262 passengers aboard, reported issues with the air ducts to one of the engines. After the flight landed safely, all the passengers were put on another plane which continued without further delays to Los Angeles.

Fox5 News spoke with a pilot of a 767 who said engine failure and the tail section striking the runway are both significant events which would be investigated. While the two events normally would not be related, both would be checked out to lea why they occurred. He said the tail skid on the back of the aircraft is designed to take the impact of the plane striking the runway. The tail skid extends and retracts with the landing gear. He added that if the plane struck the runway hard enough it would be procedure for the pilot to notify the tower which would send a crew to search for debris on the runway.