Two SAS planes turn back after lightning strike
Two planes heading for northern Sweden were forced to return to Stockholm’s Arlanda airport after being hit by lightning mid-flight on Sunday.
One plane with 116 passengers bound for Luleå in far northern Sweden was hit around 3pm on Sunday after passing through a heavy thunderstorm, with the other, carrying 125 passengers and heading to Umeå, was hit just 15 minutes after.
Both returned to the Arlanda airport in Stockholm, and no one was reportedly injured.
“Our routines state that we have to return for an inspection of the plane,” explained Elisabeth Manzi, press officer at SAS, to the TT news agency.
“It’s there that we have the technical expertise to investigate what has happened.”
Henrik Strömberg was one of the passengers onboard the flight to Umeå, and he explained that the cabin crew was professional and informative, even though some passengers were worried.
“Everything went really fast. I looked out the window and in the middle of everything there was a flash of light. Then I heard a bang that sounded like something metallic had broken,” he told the Aftonbladet newspaper.
“Most of the passengers were quite calm, but of course you get worried.”
Another flight was offered to all the passengers affected, and they reached their destinations only some two hours late.
TT/The Local/og
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One plane with 116 passengers bound for Luleå in far northern Sweden was hit around 3pm on Sunday after passing through a heavy thunderstorm, with the other, carrying 125 passengers and heading to Umeå, was hit just 15 minutes after.
Both returned to the Arlanda airport in Stockholm, and no one was reportedly injured.
“Our routines state that we have to return for an inspection of the plane,” explained Elisabeth Manzi, press officer at SAS, to the TT news agency.
“It’s there that we have the technical expertise to investigate what has happened.”
Henrik Strömberg was one of the passengers onboard the flight to Umeå, and he explained that the cabin crew was professional and informative, even though some passengers were worried.
“Everything went really fast. I looked out the window and in the middle of everything there was a flash of light. Then I heard a bang that sounded like something metallic had broken,” he told the Aftonbladet newspaper.
“Most of the passengers were quite calm, but of course you get worried.”
Another flight was offered to all the passengers affected, and they reached their destinations only some two hours late.
TT/The Local/og
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