Travelers across South Florida might be glancing twice at Amtrak this morning: a Delta flight to Minneapolis aborted its takeoff from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport when one of the plane's engines seemingly broke apart in air.
Pieces of the engine fell like hail over Port Everglades, where a sheriff's deputy working at the McIntosh Road checkpoint heard what sounded like an explosion from the plane followed by the noise of falling metal hitting the ground.
An airport spokesman confirmed "quarter-sized" parts that appeared to be from the plane's engine had been recovered by investigators from the Broward Sherrif's Department.
The incident occured shortly after flight 1846's scheduled takeoff at 7:30 a.m.; the plane quickly returned to FLL and made an emergency landing. All 140 people aboard were bused back to the terminal; there were no reported injuries.
Delta's website indicated the flight was rescheduled for a 10:55 a.m. departure.
