Manchester plane in lightning scare
A plane that was struck by lightning over Manchester was forced to land.
A passenger plane from Manchester was forced to carry out an unexpected landing after being struck by lightning.
The Boeing 737-800 to Agadir in Morocco was diverted to London Gatwick shortly after taking off from Manchester Airport at 6.42pm (Thursday 16/06/12).
A spokeswoman for Thomson Airways said it was an extremely rare'' event.
Thomson Airways would like to apologise for any inconvenience to our customers on board flight TOM732 travelling from Manchester airport to Agadir in Morocco, which was diverted to London Gatwick airport as a precautionary measure due to adverse weather,'' she said.
The flight departed from London Gatwick airport as quickly as possible afterwards and customers have arrived safely in Morocco.
The safety of our customers and crew is of paramount importance to us and we would like to reassure everyone that events such as these are extremely rare.''
A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said: Aircraft are built to withstand lightning strikes, so significant damage to the airframe is very rare.
A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said: Aircraft are built to withstand lightning strikes, so significant damage to the airframe is very rare.
If an aircraft does suffer a lightning strike it will be thoroughly inspected by engineers once on the ground before being released back into service.
Weather radar installed in the aircraft can help pilots monitor areas where lightning activity is likely and so, if possible, take avoiding action.''