NZ Herald Monday 16 October 2017 A passenger has described the terrifying moment when the plane she was on was struck by lightning near Dunedin.
Sandra Craik said she was on an Air New Zealand flight from Christchurch to Dunedin when lightning struck the wing of the plane about 5pm on Saturday.
“We were all relaxing, I’d not long taken photos and next minute there was a loud bang and a bright red flash.”
The previously quiet cabin erupted into chatter when the pilot made an announcement confirming the plane had been struck, Craik said.
She said it was ironic she had a good view of the lightning striking the plane from her row 13 seat.
Although the event was “very scary”, the pilot assured the passengers the plane was built to handle such strikes.
“I was still relieved when the plane landed about five minutes later.”
An Air New Zealand spokeswoman said the plane would be checked by engineers. The plane’s scheduled departure from Dunedin yesterday was cancelled, and passengers were put on other flights, the spokeswoman said. Read more…
