A Southwest Airlines flight carrying passengers was struck by gunfire as it prepared to take off at Dallas Love Field Airport, authorities said.
Flight 2494 was preparing to depart for Indianapolis when “a bullet appears to have struck the right side of the aircraft below the flight deck,” a Southwest Airlines spokesperson told the BBC’s US partner CBS News. Ta.
No injuries were reported, the aircraft returned to the gate and passengers deplaned, an airport spokesperson said.
The domestic airport runway was temporarily closed, but has since reopened.
Dallas police are currently leading the investigation into Friday night’s incident.
Officers responding to reports of gunfire arrived at 21:48 local time (03:48 Saturday Japan time) and confirmed that the plane had been hit.
The US Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the bullet struck the Boeing 737-800 MAX near the cockpit.
The circumstances of the incident have not been officially announced, but local television station WFAA reported that police believe the shooting was the result of random gunfire.
Reports confirmed that there were 99 people on board the flight.
Southwest Airlines said it would accommodate all passengers on other flights.
Earlier this week, three planes were hit by gunfire as they were landing or taking off at the main airport in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, as gang violence ravaged the Caribbean nation.
In response to these incidents, the Federal Aviation Administration banned U.S. airlines from flying to Haiti for 30 days.
