Lightning damages nose of IndiGo aircraft mid-air, 110 on board safe

An IndiGo aircraft flying from Patna to Lucknow was struck by lightning at an altitude of around 17,000 feet on Wednesday, damaging its nose before the pilots landed it safely at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport. All 104 passengers and six crew members on board were safe.

Flight 6E925 encountered the lightning strike while approaching Lucknow amid adverse weather conditions. The impact caused visible damage to the aircraft’s nose section, but the pilots were able to continue the approach and bring the aircraft safely to the ground.

Aircraft nose damaged

The extent of the damage became apparent after the aircraft landed in Lucknow. Visuals showed damage to the radome, the rounded structure at the front of an aircraft that protects its weather radar equipment.

Despite the damage, there were no reports of injuries to passengers or crew. The aircraft landed around eight minutes ahead of its scheduled arrival time.

The incident was reported to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and the aircraft was grounded at Lucknow airport for a detailed technical inspection.

Engineers will examine the aircraft before it is cleared to return to commercial operations.

Flight was to continue to Ahmedabad

Flight 6E925 operates through Lucknow and was scheduled to continue onwards to Ahmedabad. Following the discovery of the damage, IndiGo withdrew the affected aircraft from further operations.

Passengers travelling onwards to Ahmedabad were accommodated on another aircraft. The replacement flight subsequently departed from Lucknow for Ahmedabad.

IndiGo said the affected aircraft would undergo necessary inspections and would return to service only after completing the required technical checks and receiving regulatory clearance.

Lightning strike at 17,000 feet

The incident occurred when the aircraft was at an altitude of approximately 17,000 feet. Reports said the aircraft encountered lightning while passing through adverse weather during its descent towards Lucknow.

Lightning strikes on commercial aircraft are not unprecedented. Modern passenger aircraft are designed to allow electrical current from a lightning strike to travel through the aircraft’s exterior and exit without reaching passengers or critical systems.

A strike can, however, damage external components, including the radome, fuselage skin and other structures. Aviation procedures therefore require an aircraft involved in such an incident to undergo inspection before it is allowed to fly again.

All passengers safe

There was no reported panic-related injury or medical emergency among the passengers following the landing. All 110 people on board, comprising 104 passengers and six crew members, were reported safe.

The aircraft remained at Lucknow airport as technical teams assessed the damaged nose and checked other parts for any effects from the strike.

Initial reports differed over some details, including the passenger count and whether the aircraft had been formally diverted or made an emergency landing. The consistent facts across multiple reports are that flight 6E925 was operating the Patna-Lucknow sector, encountered a suspected lightning strike at around 17,000 feet, suffered visible nose damage and landed safely in Lucknow without injuries.

The DGCA and the airline’s technical teams will determine the precise extent of the damage before the aircraft is cleared for further operations.