A PASSENGER plane flying from New York to the Portuguese island of São Miguel landed so hard that the exterior of the aircraft became crumpled.
The plane, a Boeing 757-200, suffered damage to its fuselage (main body) and wing.
According to AV Herald, the overnight flight from New York JFK landed at Ponta Delgada Airport at 8.24am on August 18.
It was able to taxi to the apron as normal, where passengers disembarked through the doors without issue.
There were no injuries reported to any of the passengers.
However, the plane it self suffered substantial damage.
Pictures of the aircraft showed wrinkles and creases on several areas of the plane, including the main body and the wing.
There was also similar issues on the underside of the aircraft.
The plane had been due to return to New York on the same day but the flight was cancelled at the last minute as a result according to One Mine At A Time.
But two additional flights were scheduled for the next day to take passengers home.
A passenger who claims to have been on the flight said: “I was on the flight – have flown 1000+ flights in my life to date and this was by far the hardest landing I’ve ever experienced.
“Big cross winds hit right as we were touching down.
“Pilots and crew did a great job despite the circumstances.”
São Miguel is one of the islands in the Azores.
The region is known for being notoriously windy, which can make landings more difficult.
Sun Online Travel previously revealed where passengers are most likely to experience turbulence in the world.
But while it can be worrying for nervous flyers, turbulence is actually nothing to be afraid of.
Sun Online Travel has contacted Delta for comment.