Passengers freak out after lightning hits airplane: ‘Pilot was white as a ghost’

Ben Cost
·3 min read
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A man who was allegedly aboard Delta flight 1192 when it was struck by lightning claims that all hell broke loose -- and that even the pilot was quaking in his epaulets.
A man who was allegedly aboard Delta flight 1192 when it was struck by lightning claims that all hell broke loose -- and that even the pilot was quaking in his epaulets.

They captured lightning in a throttle.

A man who was allegedly aboard Delta flight 1192 when it was struck by lightning claimed that all hell broke loose — and that even the pilot was “white as a ghost.” He detailed the alleged inflight fiasco in a post currently taking off on Reddit.

“We basically had white knuckles until we touched down,” the unidentified passenger wrote about the chaotic scene, which happened aboard the flight from New York City to Atlanta Tuesday morning.

The Airbus A321 had reportedly been struck by lightning while descending into the Georgia city.

While planes are built to withstand severe weather conditions, the pilot nonetheless declared an emergency so grounds crews at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport could inspect the plane upon arrival, Fox Business reported.

A man who was allegedly aboard Delta flight 1192 when it was struck by lightning claimed that all hell broke loose — and that even the pilot was “white as a ghost.” He detailed the alleged inflight fiasco in a post currently taking off on Reddit. Corbis via Getty Images
A man who was allegedly aboard Delta flight 1192 when it was struck by lightning claimed that all hell broke loose — and that even the pilot was “white as a ghost.” He detailed the alleged inflight fiasco in a post currently taking off on Reddit. Corbis via Getty Images
A map shows the plane’s route. AIRLIVE cam.airlive.net/atl
A map shows the plane’s route. AIRLIVE cam.airlive.net/atl

However, passengers weren’t privy to that development and understandably started to freak out following the bolt’s impact, per the Redditor’s account.

“During our descent around 12,000 feet, there was a huge boom and white flash,” wrote the flyer, who was traveling with his wife at the time. “[There were] lots of screams and then anxiety as total silence from cockpit and flight attendants.

“At least one other passenger had an anxiety attack,” he added.

At one point, the petrified passenger even texted his children goodbye. “We elected to send ‘I love you’s’ to our kids but didn’t say more because it seemed like the plane was under control,” the Redditor explained.

One passenger reportedly had an anxiety attack, per the Reddit post. Reddit/wombatterific
One passenger reportedly had an anxiety attack, per the Reddit post. Reddit/wombatterific

The nightmare ended when the plane touched down safely in Atlanta at 9:26 a.m., after which the passengers finally learned what had transpired.

“We landed to a phalanx of emergency vehicles and quickly came to a full stop,” the passenger said. “It was only then that the pilot announced it was believed to be a lightning strike and we were to stay in our seats while the plane was inspected.”

Emergency crews discovered “a lightning strike mark above the windshield,” X account @Squawk_Alert reported at 9:34 a.m.

After 10 minutes, the plane was cleared to taxi to the gate, where crew members and passengers departed the aircraft.

Despite the happy landing, the flyboy on duty seemed shaken by the incident.

“The pilot was in the cabin door and was white as a ghost,” said the Redditor. “We were thanking him but he looked rough.”

Thankfully, no one was injured during the lightning strike.

However, that wasn’t the only fiasco to occur aboard the ill-fated flight: Another unrelated medical problem prompted a second inflight emergency, the details of which remain unclear.