SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 30, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A plane carrying the Utah Jazz was forced to return to Salt Lake International Airport after being damaged in a bird strike during takeoff Tuesday afternoon.
Images of the aircraft upon return the airport show a heavily damaged engine and a blood-spattered nose cone that appeared to be cracked.
The chartered Delta flight 8944 was on its way to Memphis about 1 p.m. where the Jazz are scheduled to play the Grizzlies at FedExForum Wednesday night.
According to Flight24radar.com, the Boeing 757 took off heading north the circled to the west and to the south before returning north to the airport.
The plane reached an altitude of 8200 feet before landing at Salt Lake International where it was met by emergency crews.
A series tweets by Jazz players seem telegraph just how harrowing the incident really as.
??
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) March 30, 2021
GOD is good ????
— Royce O'Neale (@BucketsONeale00) March 30, 2021
It’s a beautiful day!
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) March 30, 2021
Gephardt Daily will update this developing story when more information becomes available.
