‘I don’t want to die today’: Air New Zealand passengers relate lightning strike in the air

A loud explosion disturbed passengers on a flight between Invercargill and Wellington on Thursday morning when the plane was struck by lightning in midair.

Talking to Things, a passenger said she was sleeping when they hit the plane.

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After the incident, the smell of smoke was detected in the cabin and passengers were informed that the nose of the aircraft was damaged, he said.

She said she thought, “I don’t want to die today.”

But he said he will take the next flight to Wellington, despite the wild weather at Invercargill.

Another passenger, Adelene Kuah, said she was sitting in the back of the plane when she heard a bang and saw sparks coming from the front of the plane.

“About 50 minutes into the flight had elapsed when the pilot announced that they would turn around,” Kuah said.

“It was a very bumpy ride coming back, which was scary,” Kuah said.

The landing at Invercargill was stable and the pilot did a good job landing the plane, he said.

Kuah would be looking for another flight to Wellington via Auckland. Some passengers had already taken a flight to Christchurch, he said.

Air New Zealand spokeswoman Anna Cross confirmed that Invercargill and Wellington flight NZ8872 had returned to Invercargill after a lightning strike.

Invercargill Airport General Manager Nigel Finnerty said the airport fire crews were on standby, but not needed as the plane landed safely.

Passengers were receiving other services and the plane would be evaluated by engineers, he said.

Cross said lightning strikes were not uncommon and the planes were designed to deal with such incidents. The pilots were also trained to deal with lightning.

Wellington Airport confirmed that a flight returned to Invercargill this morning.

More to come.