Wizz Air plane hit by lightning… twice – the pilot did something unexpected

Theoretically, as all enclosures are covered with metal, a plane is like a Faraday cage. That means if lightning strikes it, it will not be able to reach the inside. Instead, it will be conducted to the outside. However, a Wizz Air pilot decided not to continue its journey after being hit by lightning twice.

The plane’s lightning defence system damaged

According to index.hu, lightning struck Wizz Air plane carrying passengers from Kutaisi, Georgia, to Prague, Czechia. The pilot decided to turn back to Georgia instead of continuing the journey to the Central European country.

Passengers said they heard two lightning bolts strike the plane and a loud noise on board. Afterwards, the flight attendants announced that the plane’s lightning defence system was damaged, so the aircraft returned to the airport of the Georgian capital.

Wizz Air confirmed passenger reports to index.hu. They said the plane returned to Kutaisi and landed there safely. Afterwards, they started to run the compulsory checkups on the aircraft.

A lightning bolt hitting Wizz Air aircraft filmed

Zsolt Szüle, a pilot trainer, told index.hu that an aluminium layer covers the plane from the outside. In the case of lightning, that remains intact. On the tip of the plane’s nose, a plastic device steers the air while above ground. However, that piece falls if lightning strikes the plane. In that case, the pilot lands as soon as possible.

In June, one of Wizz Air’s London flights was struck by lightning. “The interesting thing is that there was only light and a small sound effect, the plane continued its journey undisturbed. In front of us, a passenger was snorting the whole flight, not even alerted. So it was a little bump, nothing more”, a passenger said while filming the events.

The lightning is believed to have struck the nose of the plane, and some of the massive electrical charge was discharged on the wings. The slow-motion version of the video shows the lightning passing through several points on the right wing:

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Featured image: depositphotos.com