A Southwest plane was seemingly struck by lightning during Memorial Day weekend
A Southwest Airlines crew reported that their plane was struck by lightning on Memorial Day Weekend.
The Aviation Herald reported that air traffic control was unable to hear the pilots as a result.
The plane was taken out of service for inspection, the airline said.
A Southwest Airlines plane was seemingly struck by lightning while on approach to landing.
Flight 168, from Tampa, Florida, to Denver, took off around 7 p.m. local time on Sunday — about two and a half hours behind schedule, per data from Flightradar24.
The journey, during the busy Memorial Day travel period, appeared to be going smoothly until it was about to land.
In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration said the flight crew reported a lightning strike.
A Southwest spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that there was "a possible lightning strike" on the aircraft.
"Our maintenance teams took the aircraft out of service for inspection. There were no injuries," the spokesperson added.
The Aviation Herald reported that air traffic control could no longer hear the pilots after the strike. However, it added that controllers were able to transmit instructions to them, and the 737 landed safely in Denver 12 minutes later.
Jonathan Erdman, a senior meteorologist at Weather.com, told the outlet that the airport reported lightning in the hour before the flight landed.
"This is a challenge flying into and out of Denver this time of year, as afternoon and evening thunderstorms can be almost a daily occurrence," he added.
The National Weather Service says airliners are struck by lightning about once or twice a year on average.
Jets avoid thunderstorms as much as possible because aircraft can trigger strikes because their presence enhances the electric fields found in storms.
Commercial planes are designed with several parts to help mitigate the impact of lightning, such as a metal mesh that conducts electricity away from passengers and internal electronics.
Last New Year's Eve, a United Airlines plane from Newark to London turned around and diverted to Boston after the crew reported a lightning strike.
Read the original article on Business Insider
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Southwest Airlines Cuts Flights in Atlanta
Southwest Airlines has made a number of unpopular moves over the past several months and weeks, highlighted by the airline's decision to end its longstanding "bags fly free" policy. Now, the airline has made yet another unpopular decision. As detailed by a piece from Emma Hurt of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week, Southwest Airlines has cut more than a third of its schedule at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, the busiest airport in the world. While Delta Air Lines dominates the airport, accounting for about 80 percent of the flight capacity at Hartsfield-Jackson, Southwest has long been the second-largest carrier in Atlanta. But with these recent cuts, it seems like only a matter of time before it no longer holds that status. The move has been unpopular amongst customers, with the AJC highlighting one longtime Southwest customer who has now abandoned his loyalties to Southwest. 'Southwest never gave me a reason to shop around,' Atlanta-based filmmaker Adelin Gasana told the AJC. 'It was just my go-to … but this is the first time I've been shopping around for domestic flights.' Southwest flight attendants aren't necessarily happy, either. Alison Head, an Atlanta-based flight attendant for Southwest who represents the base on the Transport Workers Union's executive board, expressed concern about the cuts. 'Morale is very uneasy as we've watched other carriers come into Atlanta,' she wrote. She went on to criticize the airline for presumably valuing profits and stock market perofmance over the people and service. 'We feel like we're up against Wall Street,' Head said. 'Southwest has always been known for the 'LUV,' (its stock market ticker symbol) and we feel like they're not willing to protect the 'LUV' like they once were.' Clearly, this is yet another unpopular move from the airline. Southwest Airlines Cuts Flights in Atlanta first appeared on Men's Journal on May 30, 2025 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hiker suspended 150 feet from a helicopter after plummeting into a waterfall in Northern California
A hiker who fell 30 feet down a waterfall and into a pool in Butte County had to be harnessed to the end of a 150-foot rope and pulled out by a helicopter over the Memorial Day weekend, according to authorities. The hiker, who was not identified by authorities, suffered serious injuries and could not be reach by ambulance in time, rescuers said. The man was hiking with friends near Feather River Canyon and Camp Creek Falls — near the site of the 2018 Camp fire — when he tried to take a photo of the waterfall and slipped, according to authorities. The hiker fell onto the granite rocks and over the edge of the waterfall, down a 30-foot drop into the pool below, according to Kevin Soukup, a spokesperson for Butte County Sheriff's Search and Rescue. The rescue team responded to the incident in Pulga and when they saw he had sustained serious injuries, decided to rely on a helicopter for the rescue. The injured man, who was conscious at the time, was put into a harness and flown while attached to the helicopter with the 150-foot rope, Soukup said. The man was flown to a landing zone near Cresta Power House and transferred to Enloe FlightCare for further medical care. The entire helicopter trip took between 30 seconds and a minute. Read more:This cliffhanger video from Riverside County has a happy ending "This is the riskiest type of rescue that you do," Soukup said. "Just by nature, helicopters are dangerous. Anytime someone suffers a traumatic injury, you look at the risk and reward and getting them out as quickly as possible via the helicopter was the right decision to make." The road getting out of the area is about three miles and an ambulance wouldn't have made it in time, Soukup said. Anytime there is a traumatic injury, if the journey is more than a 30-minute drive, you have to fly them there, he said. The rescue was a joint operation with Cal Fire and Butte County Fire. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Driver in Idaho crash that killed 7 people had a blood alcohol content of .20, police say
FREMONT COUNTY, Idaho (ABC4) — Idaho State Police have confirmed that the at-fault driver in a crash that killed seven people in Fremont County, Idaho, had a blood alcohol content of .20, more than twice the legal limit of .08. Shortly before 7:15 p.m. on May 1, Idaho State Police troopers responded to a crash at milepost 399 on eastbound U.S. Highway 20 near Henry's Lake State Park, around 16 miles west of Yellowstone National Park. The crash occurred between a Dodge Ram pickup truck and a Mercedes passenger van — both of which caught fire after the crash, police said. The Mercedes van was reportedly carrying a tour group of 14 people. Six were declared dead after the crash, and the others were taken to the hospital with injuries. The driver of the Dodge Ram pickup truck, Isaiah Moreno, 25, of Humble, Texas — who has since been confirmed to have had a blood alcohol content of .20 during the accident — was also declared deceased. READ: Utah family rushes to help in fiery crash that claimed 7 lives near Yellowstone National Park Courtesy of East Idaho News via Roger Merrill The crash occurred just at the start of the '100 Deadliest Days' — the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day when traffic fatalities rise due to increased summer travel, holidays, and impaired driving. 'This tragedy should be a wake-up call,' Idaho State Police Capt. Chris Weadick said. 'No one plans to cause a crash or take a life when they get behind the wheel, but choices have consequences. Impaired driving isn't just illegal — it's deadly. If you see someone unfit to drive, speak up. Lives depend on it.' Alcohol-related crashes remain one of the leading causes of traffic deaths in Idaho. This summer, Idaho State Police and the Idaho Transportation Dept. are joining up to increase DUI enforcement and expand public outreach. 'We ask everyone to help protect lives by staying sober behind the wheel,' an Idaho State Police press release states. 'The public is encouraged to report suspected impaired driving by calling ISP (477) or 911 if they observe erratic or dangerous behavior on the road.' Idaho State Police said the group of 14 people in the Mercedes van were headed to Yellowstone National Park on a tour organized by Ctour Holiday LLC. Of the 14 individuals in the Mercedes van, 12 were of Chinese nationality and one was of Italian nationality. A Utah family that witnessed the crash recalled a haunting story of the moments that followed. Man Labs Skincare tops our Father's Day must-have list Trump administration unveils more detailed proposal for steep 2026 spending cuts Disneyland's 70th Anniversary reflects a celebration of 'Happy' in it's special collection of merch and clothing Changes Health and Fitness shows a pickled snack, and uses the jars as workout weights Driver in Idaho crash that killed 7 people had a blood alcohol content of .20, police say Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
