This Monday, a Boeing 737-700 operated by Alaska Airlines caught an unlucky break on a flight to Sitka, Alaska, when it was struck by lightning during its final approach to the runway. Fortunately, the jet landed safely with no injuries to crew or passengers.

The next flight scheduled to be fulfilled by the plane after the Juneau to Sitka run was canceled as a precaution. The airplane was ferried to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) for maintenance inspection before returning to service. It is expected to return to normal operations on Wednesday.

Flying On The Frontier

Alaska Airlines flight 62 departed one hour later than its scheduled departure from Juno International (JNU) at 10:49 am local time on Monday, December 15. The jet arrived at Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport (SIT) after a 79-minute gate-to-gate flight time, touching down at 12:08 pm, according to FlightAware. It appears that if the aircraft had been on time, the stunning lightning bolt may never have hit it.

This particular jet spends most of its time flying around Alaska, and the aircraft frequently visits both of these airports on its normal routine cycle of destinations. N644AS is nearly 23 years old, according to data from Planespotters.net, and the airline keeps it busy flying as far North as airports along the Bering Strait near the Russian border. It only passes through Seattle periodically as its Southernmost regular stop.

It seems that the Monday flight experienced prolonged delays on the ground after pushback, with local sources saying the jet only spent 27 minutes in the air. Juneau-based radio station KTOO relayed this quote online after the incident from an Alaska Airlines passenger, Kathy Fitzgerald, who was aboard the plane:

“It was like a giant flashbulb going off throughout the whole plane, coming from outside. There was this huge, bright light — there was no loud sound, there was no shimmying or shuddering of the plane.”

Great Balls Of Lightning

A lightning strike on a plane is a dramatic event that is typically harmless to those on board. Commercial aircraft are hit by lightning once or twice a year on average and are engineered to withstand it. An Alaska Airlines spokesperson confirmed as much to KTOO when the station inquired as to the aircraft’s status following the phenomenon.

The smell of ozone is commonly associated with the experience of being inside the cabin when a lightning bolt hits the plane. The sound is described by some as a « shotgun blast, » a dry ‘pop,’ or a loud explosion. Curiously, Fitzgerald told local news that she did not hear anything when the flashlight from the lightning bolt occurred aboard flight 62.

In other incidents, passengers have also reported minor jolts or vibrations. This is another Oddity of the incident on Monday, as Fitzgerald told reporters that there was no physical sign of the strike on the aircraft. She also did not mention any common signs leading up to the incident that have been observed on other occasions, such as passengers’ hair standing up from the buildup of static electricity in the air around the plane before the strike.

‘Saint Elmo’s Fire’ is a glowing blue or green light on windshields or other external surfaces sometimes seen before a lightning strike, which is caused by high static electricity build-up. Other times, there have been reports of ‘precipitation static’ that can cause temporary hissing or popping in communication systems. So far, the accounts of the Sitka strike do not report any of these phenomena being witnessed.

Engineered To Weather The Storm

Modern jetliners use what is known as a ‘Faraday Cage’ to protect the airplane and the souls aboard from the effects of a lightning strike. The engineering of the Faraday Cage directs the electricity along the aluminum skin or conductive mesh of the airframe to exit through an extremity, like the tail or wingtips.

Jetliners also have shielded interiors to protect everyone inside, as well as the sensitive electronics that the jet needs to operate. Small rods on the trailing edges of wings, known as ‘static wicks,’ also help dissipate static electricity and guide the lightning discharge back into the atmosphere.