Video shows dramatic footage of lightning striking jet above Heathrow airport
Astonishingly, the 500 passengers on the plane landed on the ground without incident. But as David Learmount of the air safety website Flightglobal explained to the Daily Mail, these incidents are fairly routine for airlines. "Planes get hit by lightning several times a year," Learmount said. 'They act as a conductor. Getting a good strike like this can look very dramatic but it might not make any impact. . . .The plane's body must contain metal so it can act as a conductor, allowing the electricity to pass through it. If it didn't have the metal, the plane could explode when hit."
Astonishingly, the 500 passengers on the plane landed on the ground without incident. But as David Learmount of the air safety website Flightglobal explained to the Daily Mail, these incidents are fairly routine for airlines. "Planes get hit by lightning several times a year," Learmount said. 'They act as a conductor. Getting a good strike like this can look very dramatic but it might not make any impact. . . .The plane's body must contain metal so it can act as a conductor, allowing the electricity to pass through it. If it didn't have the metal, the plane could explode when hit."
