A British Airways passenger captured the moment lightning struck the plane he would ride home in while waiting for his flight on Friday.
SAO PAULO, Brazil – While waiting for his flight, a British Airways passenger captured the moment lightning struck the plane he would ride home in on Friday.
The incident occurred at Sao Paulo Guarulhos Airport in southern Brazil, where passenger Bernhard Warr said a “huge storm” moved in and grounded flights, such as his.
Warr saw this as an opportunity for some weather cinematography.
“As we were watching out the window it was clear that lightning was striking near the airfield, so I went to capture some footage, thinking it would be good to have our aircraft in shot,” he said. “I got lucky and the strike happened right in front of me!”
Lightning strikes a plane.
(@bernaldinho79 / X / FOX Weather)
Warr’s video shows lightning striking the aircraft while it was parked at the gate.
Commercial aircraft, such as the one in the video, are hit by lightning only once or twice a year on average, according to the National Weather Service.
They noted that the planes are designed and built to withstand lightning strikes.
LIGHTNING STRIKES ON AIRPLANES CAN BE SCARY, JUST ASK MILEY CYRUS
However, once struck, the aircraft undergo mandatory inspections, which can delay flights.