> From the WeatherWatch archives
A Qantas flight from Auckland to Melbourne was turned back after it was hit by lightning.
The Boeing 737, flight QF 26, had 144 passengers on board. The crew did not declare an emergency and the 737 landed safely at Auckland about 2.30pm.
Qantas said damage to the aircraft was not known but it returned to Auckland as a precaution.
All passengers would be given seats on another flight this afternoon, a spokesman said.
He said Qantas planes are built to withstand lightning strikes.
– NZHerald, NZPA
Homepage image / File – Qantas flight takes off from Auckland on a gloomy day / WeatherWatch.co.nz
Comments
Before you add a new comment, take note this story was published on 11 May 2011.
Latest Video
High pressure moves closer, but wind & showers don’t completely ease for all (+3 Maps)
A south-west to westerly flow covers most of NZ this weekend as high pressure over the Tasman Sea inches a…
Related Articles
High pressure moves closer, but wind & showers don’t completely ease for all (+3 Maps)
A south-west to westerly flow covers most of NZ this weekend as high pressure over the Tasman Sea inches a…
VIDEO: NZ’s 7 Day Rainfall + 3 big northern hemisphere storms
We track the regions most (and least) likely to receive rain over the next week while major storms hit the…
VIDEO: High pressure flirts with NZ, we track the showers & wind
High pressure moves closer to NZ this weekend and brushes northern parts of the country next week. Despite the high…
Add new comment
Glyn on 11/05/2011 12:21pm
A couple of years ago, when we were taking off from Auckland, our plane was hit by lightning, which felt like a large bump and shudder as if all the luggage had moved in the overhead lockers. Our pilot said that we had been hit by lightning, and that planes were built to withstand that. We carried on our way. I wonder why that plane on Wednesday turned back to Auckland?
Reply