No one was injured but passengers aboard a Tuesday night flight from Vancouver to Powell River were rattled when the plane was struck by lightning on its descent.
Pacific Coastal Airlines Flight 219, the last of the night on the quick 35-minute route, hit turbulence and was flying through hail on its descent into Powell River when it was struck by lightning.
“It was a great, big, loud explosion sound and the whole plane lit up with a big flash of orange, and we’re all just kind of looking at each other like, what was that?” said passenger Allison Milan.
“The pilot came over the intercom and said ‘We were just struck by lightning. We’re going to get home safe, don’t worry, we’re going to land the plane.’”
Milan said the pilot also told passengers the lightning strike had left a hole in the front of the plane.
The aircraft managed to land safely at Powell River Airport around 7:15 p.m. and all passengers were deplaned without incident.
The company says the aircraft will be subject to an exhaustive review and will not be released back into service until it is deemed safe to fly again.
