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A United Airlines Boeing 737 experienced a lightning strike near Cleveland, Ohio, injuring a flight attendant and causing damage to the aircraft's windshield, frame, and tail. The incident occurred during Flight UA2226 from Chicago O'Hare International to Cleveland Hopkins International on Thursday. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 registered as N77530 and in service for 13 years, was performing its fourth flight of the day when it was struck by lightning on approach to Cleveland.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported that the lightning caused "damaging the windshield and frame" and left "burn marks on the tail." A flight attendant sustained minor injuries but details of these injuries were not specified. Following the incident, data from Flightradar24 confirmed that the plane remains grounded in Cleveland.
Lightning strikes are not uncommon in aviation, and aircraft are designed to endure them with generally minor repairs needed. In past instances, such as earlier this year with a United 737 and a Frontier A320neo both being struck by lightning on the same day, damages were limited to small holes or paint lacerations.
