SALT LAKE CITY — A plane with Utah Jazz team members on board made an emergency landing Tuesday afternoon after a bird strike.
Delta flight 8944 struck a flock of birds as it was taking off from Salt Lake City International Airport, according to a Delta spokesperson. The left engine was shut down, and the pilot made an emergency landing back at the airport without incident. No one on board was injured.
The Boeing 757 was heading to Memphis, Tennessee, and the Utah Jazz have confirmed it was a charter flight with the team on board. The Jazz are scheduled to play the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday night.
READ: Jazz run win streak to 6 games with 114-75 win over Cavs
The plane was towed to Delta's hangar for repairs, and the airline said they are working to find another plane to get the team to their destination. A timeline was not immediately given.
Some Jazz players expressed their gratitude after landing safely:
GOD is good 🙏🏾🙏🏾
— Royce O'Neale (@BucketsONeale00) March 30, 2021
🙌🏾
— Mike Conley (@MCONLEY10) March 30, 2021
🙏🏾
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) March 30, 2021
🙏🏽
— Jordan Clarkson (@JordanClarksons) March 30, 2021
It’s a beautiful day!
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) March 30, 2021
This article was written by Spencer Burt for KSTU.
