The Boeing was struck by a lightning bolt (Picture: Ethan West)
A student pilot has filmed the dramatic moment a Boeing 777 was hit by a bolt of lightning.
The plane had just taken off from Vancouver International Airport in Canada at around 7.30pm on Sunday, March 3.
It’s believed the flight was an Air Canada aircraft bound for London Heathrow – and just seconds after takeoff it was struck by the lightning bolt which lit up the dark sky.
Onlookers gasped in shock at the sight, but thankfully it appears the plane was able to continue flying unaffected.
Ethan West, who filmed the dramatic moment, often takes time to watch planes taking off and landing at Vancouver International after classes.
He told CityNews: ‘I saw there was a 777-300 taking off that was going to be heading for London Heathrow, and the 777 is one of my favourite aircraft and is the largest twin-engine aircraft, so I thought it’d be interesting to snap a quick video of it because it’s super loud.
‘I was just wondering what was going to happen. From my perspective, I was wondering if they were going to have to divert because I know that there’s, obviously, checklists that they’re going to have to follow.
‘I know that there wouldn’t be any serious issues but just wondering if they’re going to have to divert, and if even the passengers knew what was going on.’
Thankfully, there’s very little danger to passengers and crew if a plane is struck by lightning.
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Once the plane lands it needs to be ‘grounded’ – where ground crew attach a wire as soon as it stops moving, to dissipate any electrical energy stored in the aeroplane.
Even so it’s a pretty rare occurrence, as it’s thought planes are only hit by lightning one or two times a year.
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