07 March 2024 , 02:50
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A terrifying video has captured the moment a bolt of lightning strikes an Air Canada Boeing 777 aircraft seconds after it took off.
The flight, from the Vancouver International Airport to London's Heathrow on Sunday, was due to take off at 7.25pm local time and take 10 hours. But as the plane moved down the runway, took off and reached a few hundred feet in the air, a giant flash illuminated the airport.
The plane had been struck by lightning seconds into its flight, and, based on video footage shot by a local student pilot, by a massive bolt, too. Ethan West was filming the flight of the Boeing 777, which he told CityNews Vancouver is one of his favorite planes, when the strike occurred. He had wanted to capture the loud noise of the massive two-engine craft, which he has always been fascinated by, when he got more than he bargained for.
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The plane took off around 7:25 p.m. PT, and it was struck by lightning seconds later (@thenewarea51/X)
The lightning strike was captured on a viral video shot by a student pilot (@thenewarea51/X)"I saw that there was a 777-300 taking off that was going to be heading for London Heathrow, and the 777 is one of my favorite aircraft and is like the largest twin-engine aircraft in the world, so I thought it'd be interesting to snap a quick video of it because it's super loud," he told the TV station.
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He said he was shocked when the lightning struck, and he wondered whether the craft would be damaged by the large bolt. But the plane ultimately kept flying - completely alright. It was inspected when it landed in London, Global News reported, and it appeared to be fine, with several other flights scheduled in the coming days that FlightAware.com showed it making on time.
A miraculous video shows the moment a large plane was struck by lightning as it took off from Vancouver (NurPhoto via Getty Images)The plane likely attracted the bolt, experts told SimpleFlying.com, which is not uncommon. The National Weather Service (NWS) told the publication that the presence of the aircraft in the air "enhances the ambient electric fields typical for thunderstorms and facilitates electrical breakdown through the air." In other words, the plane altered the electric field typically found during storms - it had been a nasty one that evening on March 3, with hail falling, West told CityNews Vancouver - and was ultimately struck.
An expert told CityNews Vancouver that ultimately, the effects of a lightning strike on an aircraft aren't felt until the plane touches down, at which point the ground crew must immediately attach wires to the plane to offload any electrical energy still stored in the craft.
Damage from lightning hitting planes is rare, but it can happen, such as when the fuselages on an American Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner were damaged when the plane was struck last year, SimplyFlying.com reported.