Qantas jet struck by lightning saved as pilot avoids engine fire disaster
Passengers aboard a Qantas jumbo jet were left terrified after the aircraft was struck by lighting while in the air, leading to the heroics of a quick-thinking pilot.
The huge fright for passengers aboard the Perth to Port Hedland flight ended up with a necessary diversion to Karratha Airport, Australia, after the reported lightning strike at 6.48am on Tuesday (August 9).
A Qantas spokesperson has said that the safety of the flight which was hit by lightning while in the air was not compromised whatsoever.
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They said: "Aircraft are designed to withstand and fly safely when struck by lightning but it is policy that they get inspected at their arrival port after a strike."
After a safe landing in Karratha, passengers waited two hours to board another flight to their original destination of Port Hedland.
The original plane ,which was struck by lightning, is now being assessed by engineers to see whether or not it sustained any damage.
Another incident relating to a Qantas flight just a few days before the lightning strike saw an engine catch fire, with the flight aborted.
The Daily Mail reported that passengers saw fire appearing to come from the engine as the plane was on the runway.
The plane was then escorted from the runway after Sydney Airport's air traffic control tower was notified of an issue with the engine, which was shut down by the pilot as a precaution.
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Qantas says the aircraft has since been cleared for flight and that there was no sign of a fire when the engine was shut down, Daily Mail reported.
A spokesperson at the time of the incident said: "The pilots followed procedure and shut down the engine as a precaution after being alerted by the control tower while taxiing.
"There was no warning light in the cockpit and no sign of fire when the engine was shut down. Engineers have inspected the aircraft and cleared it to return to service. Passengers have been re-accommodated on to another flight this morning."
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