Lightning bolt hits world's biggest plane
A stormy night in London created a light show like no other when a lightning bolt hit one of the world's biggest planes as it prepared to land.
Lightning "smashed into the roof, right above the pilots' heads" as the Emirates Airbus A380 continued its journey to busy Heathrow Airport, Britain's Daily Mail reported.
"The powerful jolt of electricity passed right through the body of the Airbus A380 before shooting out to continue its journey to the ground," The Mail said.
"Amazingly, the Emirates service from Dubai landed safely minutes later, with not even a scratch and its 500 passengers and crew unscathed."
Flightglobal operations and safety editor David Learmount said he was not surprised that the A380 was not damaged.
"Planes get hit by lightning several times a year," he said.
"They act as a conductor. Getting a good strike like this can look very dramatic but it might not make any impact.
"Manufacturers must make aircraft capable of withstanding a lightning strike and protecting those inside.
"It means the plane's body must contain metal so it can act as a conductor, allowing the electricity to pass through it.
"If it didn't have the metal, the plane could explode when hit."
