British Airways Flight Struck By Lightning, Passengers Share Experience

British Airways passengers describe their ordeal as the “flight from hell” following a lightning strike that grounded the plane.

Lightning struck BA919 on Sunday afternoon, canceling the flight from Stuttgart, Germany, to Heathrow.

The plane was redirected to Gatwick instead of Heathrow, where it was scheduled to land at 1.40 pm.

A passenger applauded the flight attendants while also snapping a shot of the lightning outside.

According to other passengers, the attendants were amazing when their flight got struck by lightning on the approach to Heathrow. They were informed that the plane would be diverted to Gatwick because of all the lightning near Heathrow.

A British Airways representative informed that earlier that afternoon, BA919 was forced to divert to Gatwick due to weather-related conditions in the region.

Approaching 2 p.m., the plane touched down. Taxis transported clients between Gatwick and Heathrow.

Reports say that lightning struck had struck many planes in the vicinity.

A passenger on another aircraft heading into Heathrow said they watched a ball of lightning burst into the cabin when it entered right beneath the flight deck and exited the tail.

He said he had heard of lighting traveling through the cabin before, but it was his first time seeing it in person.

Turkish airline Pegasus reports that commercial airplanes are frequently struck by lightning. They claim that lightning strikes every aircraft once a year on average.

The airline stated that in the event of a lightning strike, passengers are advised to be calm and adhere to the instructions given by the flight attendant.

Although the whole thing may have been “shocking,” lightning strikes on planes are really relatively routine.

Advanced lightning protection systems, fitted to modern aircraft, use conductive materials like aluminum and composites to let the lightning current flow through the aircraft’s outer skin, minimizing damage and allowing the aircraft to withstand lightning strikes with minimal risk to passengers and crew.