{"id":1511,"date":"2026-06-13T18:34:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T18:34:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1511"},"modified":"2026-06-13T18:34:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T18:34:30","slug":"aa-pilot-declares-emergency-after-lightning-strikes-london-to-charlotte-flight-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1511","title":{"rendered":"AA pilot declares emergency after lightning strikes London-to-Charlotte flight"},"content":{"rendered":"

A lightning strike<\/a> prompted the pilot of a Charlotte-bound American Airlines flight to declare a \u201cgeneral emergency\u201d and make a sharp turn back to its originating airport in London, England, on Wednesday, a London newspaper reported.<\/p>\n

Read more Here\u2019s a look at Juneteenth events in the Charlotte region for 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Lightning hit the 777-300ER plane over Manchester, England, a half-hour after its 3:05 p.m. departure, according to The Standard.<\/p>\n

Video on social media by Flight Focus 365, an airport live-streaming site, shows the plane safely landing at Heathrow.<\/p>\n

American Airlines did not immediately reply to questions from The Charlotte Observer on Saturday, including whether the plane sustained damage and the time and date passengers were put on another flight.<\/p>\n

According to the National Weather Service, lightning hits commercial passenger planes an average of one or two times a year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read more NC legislators want criminal probe into DSS workers over Charlotte child\u2019s death<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThey are designed and built to have conducting paths through the plane to take the lightning strike and conduct the currents,\u201d according to the NWS.<\/p>\n

Planes \u201coften initiate the strike because their presence enhances the ambient electric fields typical for thunderstorms and facilitates electrical breakdown through air,\u201d the NWS says in a \u201cLightning and Planes\u201d bulletin.<\/p>\n

An inspection for damage is required after a strike, according to the NWS, which said the last lightning-caused crash of a commercial airliner occurred \u201cmany decades ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

WATCH: American Airlines B777-300ER flight AA735 from London Heathrow to Charlotte returned to LHR after squawking emergency code 7700 about an hour into the flight.
: FlightFocus365 pic.twitter.com\/5wuxAjhN0L<\/a><\/p>\n

Read more Wrong-way driver pleads guilty to killing a man on a Charlotte road<\/a><\/p>\n

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A lightning strike prompted the pilot of a Charlotte-bound American Airlines flight to declare an emergency and return to its airport in London, England.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1496,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nAA pilot declares emergency after lightning strikes London-to-Charlotte flight - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1511\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AA pilot declares emergency after lightning strikes London-to-Charlotte flight - 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