Plane struck by lightning while waiting to take off – video
Crew and passengers unharmed in startling lightning strike caught on camera from terminal
Footage of a Delta Airlines Boeing 737 being struck by lightning has been watched by more than a million people.
The flight was waiting to take off from Hatsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the busiest in the world, when the powerful bolt hit the back of the plane.
The incident was caught on camera from inside the terminal building by a man named Jack Perkins. "While filming the line of planes all stacked up during a ground hold in Atlanta on 8/18/15 I happened to capture this direct lightning strike on a 737," he wrote.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The recording shows torrential rain drenching the aircrafts as they wait for take-off.
A Delta spokesman confirmed the aircraft had been struck by lightning but that there were no injuries among the 111 passengers and six crew members on board at the time.
"Aircraft design allows lightning bolts to be safely redirected," Delta spokesman Morgan Durrant said.
"Fuselage structure and industrial-grade insulation acts as [a] super-conductive lightning rod that re-channels lightning around and away from customers and crew and out into the ground via the landing gear."
According to CNN, the plane took off nearly two hours late, but managed to arrive in Las-Vegas only 20 minutes later than scheduled.
The news comes after an Alitalia flight from Rome to Milan had to make an emergency landing due to a severe hailstone storm. The Italian airline's cabin crew tweeted pictures of the damage caused to the plane's nose by the storm.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
LA-to-Las Vegas high-speed rail line breaks ground
Speed Read The railway will be ready as soon as 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel's military intelligence chief resigns
Speed Read Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva is the first leader to quit for failing to prevent the Hamas attack in October
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drug
Speed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
By The Week Staff Published
-
In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policy
Speed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
By The Week Staff Published
-
Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?
Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UK
Speed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakers
Speed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
By The Week Staff Published
-
Farmers vs. walkers: the battle over ‘Britain’s green and pleasant land’
Speed Read Updated Countryside Code tells farmers: ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Motherhood: why are we putting it off?
Speed Read Stats show around 50% of women in England and Wales now don’t have children by 30
By The Week Staff Published
-
Tonga’s tsunami: the aid effort turns political
Speed Read Efforts to help Tonga’s 105,000 residents have been beset by problems
By The Week Staff Published