Mystery surrounds plane’s squashed nose

Investigations are underway into what caused a large dent in the nose of US plane chartered by a basketball team.

Passengers on board Delta Airlines Flight 8935, including several members of NBA team Oklahoma City Thunder, noticed the damage after safely arriving in Chicago on Saturday (local time).

“What possibly could we have hit in the sky at this time of night? Everyone is Safe, though. “All Praise Due”, basketballer Carmelo Anthony posted to Instagram.

Anthony’s teammate, New Zealander Steven Adams, said the flight had been “rough to say the least” in the Twitter post.

“What caused this,” he questioned.

Delta Airlines has since said the incident was likely caused by a “bird”, and that maintenance teams are investigating.

"Delta flight 8935, operating from Minneapolis to Chicago-Midway as a charter flight for the Oklahoma City Thunder, likely encountered a bird while on descent into Chicago,” the company said in a  statement to USA TODAY.

“The aircraft, a Boeing 757-200, landed safely without incident; customers have since deplaned and maintenance teams are evaluating. Safety is Delta’s top priority.”