A Delta Air Lines plane carrying 52 passengers and six crew members was hit by fireworks as it prepared to land at a Chicago airport Saturday night.

The flight from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport to Midway International Airport “apparently made contact with a firework while descending,” an airline spokesperson told the BBC.

“The flight landed safely and headed to the boarding gate,” they added. There were no injuries and the incident was reported to aviation authorities.

The plane was hit as millions of people across the United States celebrated the nation’s 250th anniversary with fireworks, part of the annual tradition to commemorate independence.

Delta Flight 1076 took off from Atlanta at 19:51 EDT (00:51 BST) and landed in Chicago at 20:33 CDT (02:33 BST).

“We just had a firework hit our plane,” a pilot told air traffic control, a recording of the incident shows. The pilot said it had occurred at about 200 feet (61 m).

“We just hope it was just a mortar that exploded underneath but he definitely felt a big explosion.”

Before the incident, controllers can be heard warning of the presence of fireworks.

“Delta 1076…be careful, there are several houses near the approach end shooting off fireworks,” an air traffic control officer said.

“There have been multiple reports, as you can imagine,” the radio controller adds. “The city is aware. They said they would notify Chicago police, but you know, I don’t know what they’ll do.”

The BBC has contacted city officials about the report of fireworks being launched from homes near the airport. The Chicago Police Department told the BBC that the plane “was struck by an unknown object” and that it caused “minor paint damage.”

The Federal Aviation Administration said the incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. CDT, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.

The Airbus A319 was inspected after landing and no damage was found, according to the airline.

Larger fireworks displays are typically organized by state and local governments, but private and often unsupervised fireworks displays are also common.

In Washington, DC, the historic anniversary was marked by a massive 40-minute fireworks display by the National Park Service on the Washington National Mall.

Flights were suspended at nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport from noon on Saturday to make way for military flyovers and a fireworks show that began at midnight local time.