Basketball Team's Charter Plane Hit By Object En Route to Chicago
On Friday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder lost a close 119-116 game in Minneapolis to the Minnesota Timberwolves. But the team could have lost significantly more in the air later that night on the way to Chicago.
The team's Boeing 757-200 charter flight operating as Delta #8935 was struck mid-air by an yet-to-be-identified object, leaving a significant dent in the nose of the aircraft. 10-time All Star Carmelo Anthony took to Instagram to post this shocking photo of the front of the aircraft upon arrival at Chicago's Midway (MDW):
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bax_0AaAqn7/
Teammate Josh Huestis posted a photo of the damage from the side on Twitter:
An expert on bird strikes told The Points Guy that the massive dent is much larger than a vast majority of bird strikes. The lack of blood, feathers or other physical markings makes it even more peculiar. While the most likely explanation is still a bird strike, this would be unlike other nose-cone bird strikes.
If it wasn't a bird, what could it have been? The internet took to trying to figure out this mystery. One commenter suspects a errant basketball shot:
According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the 28-year old aircraft (registration N650DL) was scheduled to fly from Chicago's Midway (MDW) to Milwaukee (MKE) overnight on Saturday. However, the aircraft still hasn't left Midway since the incident.
Requests for comment or further information weren't immediately answered by Delta. The media officer on duty midday Saturday was unaware of any situation involving one of the airline's planes.
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- Earn 150,000 bonus miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
- Top rated mobile app