World’s Largest Aircraft Struck by Lightning After Taking Off

Dashcam footage captured the moment a plane was struck by lightning as it took off from an airport in Wales on Tuesday, November 1.

This footage, filmed by Glenn Smethurst, shows the Airbus Beluga, one of the world’s largest aircraft, flying across the sky before being hit by a lightning bolt. Storyful has edited and slowed the footage down to show the point of impact.

In a statement to BBC Wales, Airbus said: "At 13:00 today [Tuesday], Beluga XL5 departing Hawarden Airport was struck by lightning.

“This is a routine event in aviation and the aircraft continued with its journey to Hamburg as planned. In accordance with standard operating procedure, the aircraft will be inspected before its next flight,” the aircraft manufacturer said. Credit: Glenn Smethurst via Storyful

Video Transcript

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