A Wizz Air plane, flying from Kutaisi to Prague, was struck by lightning on Saturday. The plane had to return to the Georgian departure point Georgia News.
Passengers reported seeing two lightning strikes and hearing a loud noise on board. The flight attendants then announced that the lightning protection system had been damaged and that the flight was returning to Kutaisi Airport.
We have also contacted Wizz Air regarding the incident. The airline confirmed the incident in a statement:
Wizz Air flight W6 7923 from Kutaisi to Prague turned back to Kutaisi Airport due to a lightning strike, where it landed safely without incident. The aircraft is currently undergoing a mandatory maintenance inspection
Wizz Air announced in response to Index's question.
Instructor pilot Zsolt previously told Zöle Index that the plane's fuselage is protected from the outside with a layer of aluminum, which remains intact in the event of a lightning strike. On the nose of the aircraft there is a plastic part called the nose cone, which is convenient for directing the air and streamlining the aircraft, and it practically falls off if the fuselage is struck by lightning. In such a situation, the pilot tries to land as quickly as possible.
As we wrote, at the end of June, a Wizz Air plane from Budapest to London was struck by lightning. One of the passengers filmed the terrifying phenomenon from inside. Footage taken from the passenger cabin clearly shows how the lightning extends along the outside of the plane's wing.
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