Why Did a Low-Flying Plane Circle Jackson, Ga. For Several Hours?

ATLANTA - A Delta flight from Atlanta to Rome, Italy took a detour for several hours over Jackson, Ga. after experiencing issues with one its slats.

Phone calls from conceed citizens started to flood the 911 system shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday reporting a low-flying plane over several communities in Butts and Henry counties.

A spokesperson with the FAA said Delta flight 240 took off from Hartsfield Jackson Inteational Airport at 4:14 p.m. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot received an indicator light waing of an issue with one of the plane's slats. As a precaution, the captain decided to retu to Atlanta, but first had to bu off and dump some of the fuel aboard. The Boeing 767 spent several hours flying over Butts and Henry counties until it was light enough to land. The plane eventually landed safely around 7:45 p.m.

A Delta spokesperson said the passengers were boarded on a different plane before continuing on to Italy.