The moment a grounded Delta flight was struck by a lightening bolt in Atlanta has been captured on camera.
The UK isn’t the only place that is known for rainy summers, Atlanta, Georgia, is also used to getting unsettled weather in the summer, and last week was no exception.
The stormy weather caused a number of delayed flights in Atlanta, and whilst a Delta flight bound for Las Vegas was waiting on the runway of Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, the plane was suddenly struck by lightening. And the exact moment was caught on camera.
Speaking to CNN, Delta spokesman Morgan Durrant explained why: ‘Aircraft design allows lightening bolts to be safely redirected. Fuselage structure and industrial-grade insulation acts as [a] super-conductive lightning rod that rechannels lightening around and away from customers and crew and out into the ground via the landing gear.’
All 111 passengers and six crew members were reported as safe following this incident, and perhaps most astonishing was the fact that whilst the plane took off nearly two hours late at 7:32 p.m. ET, it landed just 20 minutes later than scheduled, at 8:11 p.m. PT, according to FlightAware.com.