Airplane Struck by Lightning Mid-Flight... Fuselage Penetrated Completely

Passengers "Smelled Burning Along with Explosion Sound"

A plane flying over Belgium was struck by lightning and had to return to its departure point.

According to foreign media including the UK's Daily Mail, on the 22nd (local time) at 1:35 PM, a TUI Airlines flight departing from Brussels, Belgium, heading to Hurghada, Egypt, was struck by lightning shortly after takeoff. The plane then returned to Brussels Airport as a precautionary measure.

Passengers reported the situation, saying, "We heard an explosion and smelled something burning," and "Suddenly, there was a loud explosion." After the plane landed, passengers moved to a hotel and were reported to have boarded a replacement flight to their destination the next day.

A passenger plane struck by lightning over Belgian airspace eventually turned back. Daily Mail

On the same day, lightning was also captured striking a cargo plane flying from Brussels to Qatar. Foreign media released footage recorded by a dashcam of a vehicle passing on a highway in Brussels at the time of the incident. The video showed a lightning bolt suddenly striking and penetrating the fuselage of the cargo plane. The lightning that passed through the cargo plane then struck the ground. However, the cargo plane did not return but continued its flight and safely arrived in Qatar.

Doug Morris, a pilot for the airline, said, "It is quite common for aircraft to be struck by lightning." He added, "Some instruments may malfunction due to the strike, but generally it is not a serious problem. The lightning simply flows over the surface of the aircraft and does not significantly affect safety." However, he also noted, "After a lightning strike, a separate inspection is necessary to check whether electronic devices or machinery have been damaged." His book, This Is Your Captain Speaking, also mentions that aircraft are estimated to be struck by lightning every 5,000 flight hours, or about once a year.