New Delhi, July 6 -- As Americans across the country celebrated the Fourth of July with great fervour, a Delta Air Lines flight was struck by fireworks while descending into Chicago, the airline said on Sunday (local time).

On Saturday night, shortly before landing at Chicago Midway International Airport, the pilot of Delta Flight 1076 informed air traffic controllers that a firework had hit the plane during its descent. Citing an audio recording published online by LiveATC.net, AP reported that the pilot described feeling "a big bang" on the commercial airliner.

According to the recording, the incident occurred while the aircraft was flying at an altitude of approximately 200 to 250 feet. The pilot said the crew initially believed the ...