Video footage appears to show lightning striking an airplane en route from Germany to England’s Heathrow airport Sunday.
The British Airways (BA) aircraft was forced to diver to a neighboring airport in Gatwick, the U.S. Sun reported.
I didn’t take the original video / photo, but I’m trying to find the man who did so he can get the credit and share his amazing capture, please share!!https://t.co/q409qiXZ9r
— Kico (@mrs_jebu) July 8, 2024
Video footage of the airplane getting hit by a lightning bolt was published by the New York Post.
Lightning strikes British Airways plane, forcing emergency landing https://t.co/WLgTV5sH0j pic.twitter.com/64GPIjFiIP
— New York Post (@nypost) July 8, 2024
The video appears to show the wing of the plane as it is traveling through the clouds. Suddenly, two lightning bolts appear. One in blue appears to hit the wing of the airplane. The other bolt, which was purplish in color, did not appear to hit the aircraft. (RELATED: Wild Video Shows Pilot’s Canopy Suddenly Open, Shatter Mid Flight)
“The BA crew were amazing when our flight got struck by lightning on the approach to Heathrow,” Jeco, a woman claiming to be a passenger on the flight, wrote on Twitter.
#shocking flight from @British_Airways today*
*this is a joke, the crew were amazing when our flight got struck by lightning on the approach to Heathrow and had to divert to Gatwick. Amazingly, someone caught it on video! pic.twitter.com/YERuZ4JYeg
— Kico (@mrs_jebu) July 7, 2024
Passengers on the flight were then driven to Heathrow after disembarking, The U.S. Sun reported. British Airways seemed to acknowledge the event to the outlet.
“BA919 diverted to Gatwick earlier this afternoon due to weather related conditions in the region. The flight landed just before 2pm. Customers were driven from Gatwick to Heathrow,” a BA spokesperson told the outlet.
Another British Airways aircraft was struck by lightning on the same day en route to Heathrow, the Independent reported.
“It [lightning] entered just underneath the flight deck and left the tail – we saw it shoot through the cabin. I’d heard of lighting (sic) travelling through the cabin before but it was my first time seeing it in real life,” Ben, a Twitter user claiming to be on that flight, tweeted July 7.
“I’d just like to add that the actual flight was unaffected. Customers were kept informed and the flight continued its approach for an uneventful arrival,” Ben added.
Just got struck by lightning on the approach into Heathrow.
It entered just underneath the flight deck and left the tail – we saw it shoot through the cabin.
I’d heard of lighting travelling through the cabin before but it was my first time seeing it in real life.
— Ben (@JustAnother_Ben) July 7, 2024
I’d just like to add that the actual flight was unaffected. Customers were kept informed and the flight continued its approach for an uneventful arrival.
The aircraft is undergoing a routine inspection required after a lightning strike.
— Ben (@JustAnother_Ben) July 7, 2024
Airbus, a European-based aerospace corporation, told The Independent that its large aircraft are “designed and certified to withstand lightning strikes without sustaining significant damage.”
