A thunderbolt struck a plane on yesterday at dawn when it was
flying from the Beijing Capital Airport to Kunming City, Yunnan
Province. The bolt hit the radome but caused no deaths and
injuries.
The flight, CA4174, Air China, was struck by lightning while
cruising at 1,100 foot to 1,500 feet. The pilot asked permission to
land due to security concerns when the thunderbolt struck. The
plane descended and landed at the Beijing Capital Airport 20
minutes later.
The flight, CA4174, Air
China, landed at Beijing Capital Airport after being struck by a
thunderbolt on its radar cover yesterday at dawn. The thunderbolt
created a 2,500-square-centimeter hole in front of the plane. The
accident caused no deaths or injuries among the passengers. (photo:
sina.com.cn)
Airport staff blocked off the runway where the plane landed.
They discovered a 2,500-square-centimeter hole on the aircraft's
radome. All passengers were sent into the waiting room and then
authorities arranged for them to go to neighboring hotels to
rest.
Officials from Air China said that the flight would be delayed
for several hours due to the harsh weather conditions. It departed
again before noon yesterday.
(China.org.cn by Wu Jin October 29, 2007)
