An IndiGo flight carrying 104 passengers landed safely in Lucknow on Wednesday after being struck by lightning at an altitude of around 17,000 feet, with the impact damaging the aircraft's nose.
Flight 6E925 was flying from Patna to Lucknow when it encountered bad weather and was hit by lightning while approaching the destination. The aircraft had taken off from Patna at around 3:10 pm and was scheduled to arrive in Lucknow at 4:20 pm.
The lightning strike damaged the front portion of the aircraft, but the pilot managed the situation and brought the plane down safely at Lucknow airport at around 4:05 pm. All passengers were evacuated after landing and no injuries were reported.
The aircraft was subsequently grounded at Lucknow airport because of the technical damage. IndiGo engineers are examining the plane to assess the impact of the lightning strike.
The aircraft was scheduled to operate flight 6E6968 from Lucknow to Ahmedabad. With the damaged plane unavailable, IndiGo arranged another aircraft for the passengers. They eventually departed for Ahmedabad at around 6:22 pm.
Bihar Weather
The incident occurred amid thunderstorms and lightning activity forecast over parts of Bihar and neighbouring regions. The India Meteorological Department had warned of thunderstorm and lightning activity in Bihar on October 7, 8 and 9.
Another IndiGo Aircraft Hit By Lightning In June
The incident is the second reported lightning strike involving an IndiGo aircraft in recent months. On June 19, another IndiGo plane was struck by lightning while parked at Kolkata airport during a thunderstorm. The aircraft, which was scheduled to fly to Agartala, suffered a power-system issue, prompting the airline to deboard 141 passengers and six crew members and arrange another aircraft for their journey.
Two ground staff members were also taken to hospital for medical checks following the June incident and were later discharged.
In Wednesday's incident, however, the Patna-Lucknow flight landed safely, and all 104 passengers were reported safe.