A plane suffered “visible damage” after it was struck by lightning just before landing in Stornoway today.
The Loganair plane was coming in to land at Stornoway Airport when the strike occurred.
A spokesperson for the airline said the aircraft suffered damage to a fuselage panel.
But it “did not compromise the safe completion of the flight”.
Loganair customers are now waiting to see if they will be able to fly from Stornoway to Glasgow today, after the plane was grounded.
It was due to make the return journey with passengers from Stornoway on Tuesday morning, but that flight has been cancelled.
The route is a vital link between the island and Scotland’s biggest city.
“Loganair customers on that flight have been contacted with alternative travel arrangements,” the spokesperson added.
Loganair is working to assess the damage to the plane, which “is now undergoing a full check before repairs and subsequent release to service”.
Pilots ‘routinely and extensively trained’ for lightning strikes
While lightning might not strike twice, this isn’t the first time that a flight to Stornoway has gotten a shock.
Similar incidents occurred in 2015 and 2020.
In both cases, the struck planes were soon back in action after checks.
“This can happen from time to time, [and] is an event for which our pilots are routinely and extensively trained,” a spokesperson for Loganair said.
The US National Weather Service estimates that a commercial aircraft will be hit by lightning an average of once or twice a year.
“There has not been a lightning-caused commercial transport airplane crash in many decades,” their website adds.
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