A flight bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, had to divert course back to its origin airport. According to People, this was because the plane was struck by lightning mid-flight.
The wild incident happened on June 10, just 30 minutes after takeoff from England's London Heathrow airport. American Airlines flight AA735 was headed to Charlotte Douglas International Airport. It took off at around 3:00 pm local time.
The plane was hit directly when the pilots decided to make a U-turn straight back to London. Heathrow air traffic control reported a "squawk 7700", which is a code for a general emergency.
The American Airlines flight touched back down at Heathrow at around 4:30 pm. Airport Rescue, alongside fire crews, inspected the plane for damage right there on the runway.
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Lightning Strikes on Planes Aren't Unheard Of
While it is quite a rare occurrence, it certainly isn't the rarest thing in the world.
Most planes themselves are hit by lightning on an average of one to two times a year. Planes are even designed to conduct currents caused by lightning strikes, which mitigates the vast majority.
The National Weather Service explained the reason why this happens so often. "[Aircrafts] often initiate the strike because their presence enhances the ambient electric fields typical for thunderstorms and facilitates electrical breakdown through air."
"When it is suspected that a plane was hit by lightning, there is a mandatory inspection for damage." That was what happened on the American Airlines flight. While the reason for the U-turn wasn't specified, the pilots may have felt that the plane had been damaged.
The agency said that the inspections can "delay flights and be quite expensive". Of course, that's exactly what happened in this instance. American Airlines has not yet issued a statement following the wild incident.
The plane will need to stay grounded until there have been post-strike checks. These will need to be performed by both the Federal Aviation Authority and the UK's Civil Aviation Authority.
The National Weather Service added that "for that reason, as well as for turbulence, [airlines] avoid thunderstorms as much as possible."
