The passengers heard a loud explosion and saw sparks near the engine during the flight. After the lightning strike, the crew decided to turn the plane back.
Airplane / © Associated Press
A SriLankan Airlines passenger plane returned to its departure airport after being struck by lightning during flight. As a result of the incident, the aircraft lost a part of its left engine, but the landing was successful, and all people on board remained unharmed.
This was reported by the publication Daily Mail.
Flight UL606 was en route from Colombo to Sydney on the morning of June 12. During the flight, passengers heard a loud explosion and subsequently saw sparks near the left engine. After this, the crew made the decision not to continue the route and to return the aircraft to Colombo International Airport.
Upon landing, it was discovered that a significant portion of the exhaust nozzle was missing from the engine. Despite the damage, none of the 207 passengers and 16 crew members were injured.
The airline later provided another aircraft to continue the journey. It departed from Colombo at 05:51 and arrived in Sydney at 20:00, more than five hours later than scheduled.
One of the passengers, Kanchana de Silva, shared that the usual flight unexpectedly turned into a frightening experience. At the same time, he thanked the pilots and crew for their professional actions, which helped maintain calm on board. He also mentioned that passengers were quickly provided with an alternative flight.
The aircraft involved in the incident is an Airbus A330-243, equipped with two Rolls-Royce Trent 772B-60 turbofan engines. The aircraft was manufactured in 2004.
Experts note that modern passenger aircraft are designed to withstand potential lightning strikes. Typically, the electrical charge passes through the aircraft’s structure without significant consequences for the flight. However, after such incidents, engineers always conduct additional checks to ensure there are no hidden damages before returning the aircraft to service.
Recall that a Boeing 777 passenger plane sustained serious damage after colliding with a radar mast while taxiing at Antalya Airport, Turkey.
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