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British Airways pilot reports plane struck by lightning approaching Heathrow

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British Airways pilot reports plane struck by lightning approaching Heathrow
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Gary Leff Chief Financial Officer | View from the Wing

The pilot of British Airways flight 501 from Lisbon to London Heathrow reported being struck by lightning while on approach to the airport on Sunday. He described the lightning as having “entered [the aircraft] just underneath the flight deck” and said it left via the aircraft’s tail. “We saw it shoot through the cabin,” he noted, an occurrence he had only heard about in stories but never witnessed before.

“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,” tweeted Ben (@JustAnother_Ben) on July 7, 2024.

Despite this incident, the flight remained unaffected, with the pilot making an announcement due to the noise created by the strike. The aircraft is expected to remain grounded for approximately 18 hours for a routine inspection following a lightning strike, which includes testing electronic systems and checking for physical damage.

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This particular Airbus A320, which is 22 years old, has previously experienced issues such as fumes in the cockpit and cabin pressurization problems, as well as prior lightning strikes. On average, commercial planes are struck by lightning at least once a year. However, it has been over 40 years since a crash was attributed to a lightning strike. Generally, an aircraft’s fuselage conducts electricity from a strike and transmits it out through the tail.

In related incidents, an Air Canada Boeing 777 was also struck by lightning while departing Vancouver en route to London’s Heathrow airport earlier this year.

“WOW ✈️ Air Canada Boeing 777 gets struck by lightning while departing Vancouver, BC over the weekend,” tweeted Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) on March 6, 2024.

Additionally, video footage showed damage to a Jetstar Boeing 787 from a lightning strike during a domestic Australian flight from Melbourne to Gold Coast in May 2022. The aircraft was taken out of service for up to two months for repairs.

“Video shows Jetstar 787 damage from a lightning strike during a flight from Melbourne to Gold Coast earlier this month,” tweeted Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) on May 17, 2022.

Past incidents have also shown photos of American Airlines Boeing 787s damaged by lightning strikes.

Aviation technology continues to advance rapidly; however, nature's power remains formidable.

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