An Air New Zealand flight heading to Tahiti was forced to turn back after being struck by lighting.
Flight NZ902 took off from Auckland Airport at 8:30 pm on Monday when it was struck 20 minutes into its journey to the capital of Papeete.
Air New Zealand chief operating officer Alex Marren said the aircraft returned to Auckland where “our maintenance teams can complete inspections so it can return to service.”
“Lightning strike is not uncommon and our pilots are trained for this scenario. All customers have been rebooked to travel to Papeete today,” Marren told news.com.au.
Flight Aware footage shows the plane taking off from Auckland Airport before doing one big loop over the Coromandel and heading back to the airport.
It comes as thunderstorms rattle Auckland, with powerful booms heard from the west to the south, and a band of turbulent weather passes overhead, the NZ Herald reported.
“What the hell just happened? Who forgot to let everyone know there was a storm coming,” one person posted to Facebook, according to the publication.
“It was probably the loudest thunder I’ve ever heard in my life,” a second wrote, while a third added: “That lightning shook the whole whare [house].”
