This is the shocking moment a plane carrying 400 people flying from Vancouver to London was struck by lightning on Sunday.
The Air Canada Boeing 777 was hit by the huge bolt shortly after takeoff from Vancouver Airport, Canada, on Sunday.
The incident, which was captured on video by an aircraft spotter, did not result in any casualties, and the aircraft was able to continue its flight and land as planned in London Heathrow.
The plane had only taken off moments earlier but was already high in the sky.
The breathtaking video was taken by aviation enthusiast Ethan West who is studying to become a pilot.
The lightning bolt hit the plane square on and continued towards the ground.
The lightning bolt hit the plane square on and continued the other side towards the ground
The bolt did not disturb the flight of the plane.
Despite being a terrifying sight for those on the ground, the passengers themselves would have almost definitely felt nothing.
According to Executive Flyers, modern planes are built with a carbon composite that’s covered with a thin copper layer to conduct the electricity around the plane and not let it enter.
Passengers could see a flash of lightning or the sound of thunder if lightning strikes their plane but would not be in danger and would not feel as if they have been struck.
Air Canada said the aircraft was inspected upon arrival at London Heathrow Airport to ensure that no damage affected the safety of the flight.
According to the National Weather Service, the U.S. weather agency, each plane is struck by lightning on average once or twice a year.
This may seem like a huge amount considering the seemingly low chance of two entities moving at such great speeds being at the exact same point at the exact same time.
Commercial passenger planes travel at around 500mph. Lightning travels at nearly 700 million mph.
However, the very fact that the plane is in the sky is thought to attract the lightning as the bolt tries to find its quickest route to a solid.
Most lightning strikes happen in near-freezing temperatures at high altitudes or during turbulence, and vary by location.
The lightning was so bright, the plane could hardly be seen in the middle of the bolt
Air Canada said the aircraft was inspected upon arrival at London Heathrow Airport to ensure that no damage affected the safety of the flight (Stock image)
Over half of lightning strikes on aircraft occur between March and July, with lightning strikes being most frequent when the plane passes through clouds while ascending or descending.
Lightning is nearly 30,000C – three times hotter than the surface of the sun.
Despite being rare, there have been nine recorded plane crashes attributed to lightning.
Seven of these crashed planes were commercial airliners, and the other two were military planes.
Most of these crashes involved the plane flying at low altitudes while ascending or descending.
The worst of these crashes was the 1971 LANSA Flight 508, with 91 of the 92 people on board dying.
