Plane appears to be struck by lightning during major storm
Footage of a thunderstorm in California appears to show a passenger plane being struck by lightning.
The storm brought rain, thunder and hail to the north of the state – and one man caught the moment a bolt of lightning struck a plane as it was landing.
California resident William Justo shared the video yesterday and said: ‘Was filming lightning from a severe storm earlier around south San Jose along Monterey Rd and caught a plane struck by lightning! How lucky I was to capture this?
‘A closer, cropped look… Notice the blue green sparks/discharge from the plane wings?’
The weather enthusiast regularly posts photos and videos of storms, but rarely anything as dramatic as this.
Twitter user Ioana replied: ‘I was on that plane, hella scary… happened five minutes before landing.’
She claimed the strike happened five minutes before landing and the plane was ‘fine’.
It remains unknown what airline the plane belonged to.
As shocking as it may be, it’s not completely uncommon for planes to be struck by lightning.
The National Weather Service explains on their website: ‘Commercial transport passenger planes are hit by lightning an average of one or two times a year. They are designed and built to have conducting paths through the plane to take the lightning strike and conduct the currents.’
After planes are suspected to be struck by lightning, it’s required to be inspected for damage – which can sometimes cause delays.
The NWS added: ‘There has not been a lightning-caused commercial transport airplane crash in many decades, but that’s not true of the other groups of aircraft.’
Last year, a plane carrying dozens of passengers through a storm was struck by lightning mid-flight.
Delta Air Lines flight 2346, originating from Chicago, was approaching Boston’s Logan International Airport when it was struck, but managed to land safely.
The incident came shortly after a lightning bolt struck an American Eagle plane full of passengers on a tarmac during a strong storm.
A photographer recorded the frightening moment that the bolt appeared to strike the plane’s tail, sending off sparks.
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