An engine failure on a Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 caused a wild grass fire next to the runway at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport on Sunday night, prompting the pilots of the Atlanta-bound plane to make an immediate return to Savannah.
The incident occurred at around 6:45 pm on February 22 as Delta flight DL-1067 was accelerating along the runway for takeoff.
A passenger on board the flight described the moment that one of the engines ‘blew’, sending flames streaking out of the CFM-56 turbofan engine. Due to high winds and dry conditions, the flames were enough to set light to the surrounding grass as the plane made its initial ascent.
According to data supplied by flight tracking service Flight Radar 24, the plane climbed to a maximum altitude of less than 3,000 feet as the pilots performed a loop around to return straight back to SAV airport.
Savannah – Hilton Head
— Holly Kesler (@HollyKesler) February 23, 2026
International ✈️🔥
What a relief and a huge shoutout to the incredible pilot and crew of Delta Flight DL1067—engines blew during takeoff en route to Atlanta—but they expertly looped back and landed everyone safely. The howling winds today have continued… pic.twitter.com/wH6zE9Zcu5
As the plane landed back at Savannah Airport just minutes later, passengers caught video of the flames already spreading across the grass next to the runway.
“What a relief and a huge shoutout to the incredible pilot and crew of Delta Flight DL1067,” wrote passenger Holly Kesler on X. “Engines blew during takeoff en route to Atlanta—but they expertly looped back and landed everyone safely.”
“The howling winds today have continued to fuel the fires around the Savannah Airport. Grateful beyond words for their skill and calm under pressure. Heroes in the sky today!”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Delta confirmed that the aircraft suffered a mechanical issue with the aircraft’s left engine.”
The statement added: “The Boeing 737-900 landed safely and was met by fire trucks, and customers deplaned normally at the gate. The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority.”
“We are working to reaccommodate all customers on alternate flights. We apologize to our customers for this delay in their travels.”
Along with the emergency landing of flight 1067 in Savannah and severe winter weather in the Northeast, Delta was also battling intermittent IT issues on Sunday evening that caused delays to a number of flights across the airline’s network.
Delta later said that the outages, which had affected check-in systems in departure concourses and at departure gates, had resulted in a number of delays, but, thankfully, no cancellations.
The airline pinned the cause of the issue on a connectivity problem that had forced gate agents to manally check-in passengers on some flights.
Delta closed Sunday with delays impacting 651 flights, representing around 19% of its total schedule, according to Flight Aware. Around 45 flights were also cancelled.
