LOS ANGELES, CA — Passengers and crew aboard a JetBlue airliner got a genuine shock when their plane was struck by lightning after it took off from Los Angeles International Airport Thursday. And the proverbial lightning struck twice Thursday when a second plane was jolted as it left LAX for Oregon. No injuries were reported in either freak occurrence.
The pilot of a JetBlue airliner was forced to turn back and land Flight 324 for safety reasons. The plane was headed to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, according to LAX and the Federal Aviation Administration.
No one was hurt, and the pilot made a safe landing, authorities said.
The plane was struck by lightning at about 10:45 a.m. The plane landed safely about 11:30 a.m., an LAX official said. It will undergo a safety inspection.
A second plane — a Southwest flight from LAX to Portland — safely diverted to Oakland after it too was struck by lightning, according to ABC7.