A student from Vancouver caught an electrifying video of a lightning strike hitting an airplane in Canadian airspace, and it has everyone talking.
Student Ethan West captured the footage at Vancouver International Airport, with at least one aviation news source calling it a “rare catch.”
Rare catch ! Aircraft struck by lightning during thunderstorm at Vancouver International Airport (YVR).
š„alianii.l#aircraft #aviation pic.twitter.com/aF0oDM802s
ā FL360aero (@fl360aero) March 5, 2024
The airplane that got hit by the lightning strike was an Air Canada Boeing 777-333 travelling from Vancouver to London on March 4.
The response from many was something along the lines of, “Holy crap!”
Many were also surprised to see the aircraft still moving, but according to some aviation agencies and airline experts, planes are actually designed to withstand lightning strikes.
“Lightning usually strikes an aircraft on the front side of the plane’s cockpit. The edge of the cockpit window is a typical point of impact. The aluminium fuselage of the aircraft conducts electricity well, and due to that, the lightning discharge does not affect the inside of the aircraft,” according to Finnair.
“The discharge travels onwards along the outer surface of the aircraft and exits again into the atmosphere, typically from the tips of the wing, control surfaces or the tail of the aircraft.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states that lightning hasn’t caused a commercial crash in many years.
We’ve reached out to West for more on his shocking video.
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