09 March 2006 Icelandic airplane struck by lightning
Travellers on route from Iceland to New York were forced to return after their plane was hit by lightning.
The Icelandair B757 airplane returned to Keflavik Airport on Tuesday this week due to the sustained damage from the lightning strike just five minutes after take-off.
IcelandReview reports that the damage to its on-board radar equipment and nose was too great to allow the plane to continue.
Auounn Bhorn Larusson, a passenger on board, told the Morganbladid newspaper that there was a "massive flash" but that the majority of the 150 passengers remained calm.
On landing and seeing the extent of the damage, a number of passengers were said to have lost their composure.
The passengers were delayed for several hours before a different aircraft could take them to New York.
Last month hundreds of passengers were stranded overnight at Santander Airport in Spain after four Ryanair planes were hit by lightning.
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