Panic at 30,000ft as plane forced to make emergency landing after right engine is struck by lightning in severe storm over Italy

Passengers were left terrified when an Alitalia plane was struck by lightning as it flew through a severe storm over Italy on Wednesday night.

The captain chose to make an emergency landing after the commercial aircraft’s right engine was hit by a lightning bolt on a cross-country flight from Ancona.

None of the plane’s 51 passengers and crew was injured, and the ATR 72 twin turboprop aircraft landed safely at Rome’s Fiumicino airport.

Italy’s Ansa news agency said there were ‘moments of fear’ on board the small plane when the incident occurred during the one-hour flight.

The plane was taken out of service and inspected by engineers to determine the extent of any damage.

A similar incident occurred in February when an Alitalia flight from Rome was hit by lightning as it prepared to land in stormy weather in Genoa.

On its website, aircraft manufacturer Boeing says lightning strikes to airplanes are relatively common but rarely disrupt the safe operation of a plane.

- Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Birk Mobius snapped a photo of a plane being struck by lightning in a rainbow over Germany last August