Delta flight from Chicago to Boston lands safely after likely being struck by LIGHTNING during East Coast storms

A Delta flight managed to land safely after possibly being struck by lightning mid-flight before being taken out of service and inspected by crews upon arrival.

Delta Flight 2346 departed Chicago’s O’Hare Airport on Monday at 8:54 p.m. CDT and landed at Boston’s Logan Airport at 11:45 p.m. EST after a stressful cross-country trip during which the plane probably been struck by lightning.

Airport crews inspected the plane when the Airbus A220 arrived at Logan Airport’s Terminal A with 85 passengers on board.

Delta Airlines said in a statement: “As safety is always Delta’s top priority, the aircraft is being taken out of service for evaluation in accordance with our standard procedures.”

The company did not confirm whether the plane was struck by lightning during the trip.

The Airbus A220 had 85 passengers on board traveling from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport to Boston’s Logan Airport.

After the plane landed safely in Boston at 11:45 p.m., the airport crew inspected the plane for any damage or warning signs from a possible lightning strike, but did not nothing to worry about.

MassPort – Massachusetts Port Authority – had emergency crews ready Monday evening who could be seen on a cherry picker inspecting the exterior of the plane.

Former MassPort CEO Tom Kinton said: “It’s not common to the extent that it happens every time because air traffic controllers and pilots all take precautions to avoid and navigate storms, particularly when they are of a violent nature.”

Kinton said: “The plane is designed to take the hit and then pass electricity through the fuselage and out of the plane. So you may have some disturbances: lights will flash, avionics will turn on and off in the cockpit. Things are restored pretty quickly – within seconds.

Commercial airliners are struck by lightning an average of once or twice a year, according to the National Weather Service.

Lightning isn’t the only weather condition to affect the East Coast this week. This incident comes amid a busy Atlantic hurricane season that has affected weather conditions on the Southeast coast in recent weeks.

Weather channels warned Tuesday that Hurricane Nigel could develop into a depression or subtropical storm.

The National Hurricane Center predicts that Hurricane Nigel will eventually reach Category 3, which carries winds of 111 to 129 mph and has the power to damage homes, snap trees and affect power and water .

In June, an American Eagle plane full of passengers was struck by lightning moments after landing during a storm in Arkansas.

Airport crew inspected the plane at Terminal A, but planes are designed to handle the impact and the Delta plane did not appear to be damaged.

Former MassPort CEO Tom Kinton (pictured) said: “It’s not common” for planes to be hit because “air traffic controllers and pilots all take precautions to avoid and navigate around storms, particularly when they are of a violent nature.

Commercial airliners are struck by lightning an average of once or twice a year, according to the National Weather Service.

The Embraer E175 was waiting for the storm to pass before heading to the gate when a terrifying electrical flash blasted the plane yesterday afternoon.

The cameraman, named in Viral Press as Jason William Hamm, can be heard talking about an earlier lightning bolt that struck moments earlier, saying: “I don’t think it hit the plane, that would have still made an incredible video.”

Seconds later, another fierce bolt of lightning strikes the tail of the plane, causing the people behind Mr. Hamm to scream with excitement.

Another flight was struck by lightning in Panama during a storm in 2021.

The Boeing 737 MAX was flying at an altitude of approximately 30,000 feet and was preparing to land at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City.

Dramatic footage captured from the cockpit shows powerful lightning striking the nose of the plane as pilots navigate into a strong storm.

Earlier in September, Category 5 Hurricane Lee caused the cancellation of more than 200 flights from JFK, Newark and LaGuardia airports due to severe storms already experiencing the East Coast.