CHICAGO- A United Airlines (UA) flight from Chicago O’Hare (ORD) to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) suffered a lightning strike, which injured a flight attendant on November 21, 2024.
The airline operates five to six daily flights between Chicago and Cleveland.
United Flight Lightning Strike
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) reported the incident and stated,
AIRCRAFT WAS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING DAMAGING THE WINDSHIELD, FRAME AND LEFT BURN MARKS ON THE TAIL, CLEVELAND, OH.
FAA
According to FlightRadar24 data, United Airlines flight UAL2226 or UA2226 took off from Chicago at 10:07 PM UTC.
After being airborne for around 55 minutes, the flight landed safely at Cleveland at 11:02 PM UTC.
However, at what stage of flight did the lightning strike occur? FAA is likely to investigate the incidents.
The flight was operated by a 13.8-year-old Boeing 737-800, registered as N77530.
We have reached out to United Airlines for more information. We will update the post once we have the update.
Similar Incidents
On August 4, 2024, a Delta Air Lines flight (DL112) from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO) in Rome experienced a lightning strike shortly after takeoff. The Airbus A330-300, registered as N831NW, was forced to return to Boston, where it landed safely at 7:20 PM local time.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the aircraft was struck by lightning around 16,000 feet (FL160) shortly after its 10:22 PM UTC departure. Following the incident, the pilots dumped excess fuel to reduce landing weight and executed an emergency return to Boston. The aircraft remained airborne for nearly an hour before landing at 11:20 PM UTC.
Delta canceled the flight, and the aircraft, a 7.4-year-old model powered by General Electric CF6 engines, is still grounded for inspection.
A Delta spokesperson apologized to passengers and assured them that arrangements were underway to transport them to their destination. FAA regulations require that commercial aircraft be designed to endure lightning strikes, but incidents like this necessitate immediate inspections to confirm the aircraft’s structural integrity.
Lightning strikes, while not uncommon in aviation, occasionally cause damage. The FAA is investigating the DL112 incident, in line with standard procedure. FlightRadar24 data confirmed the emergency return, and Delta continues to monitor the situation.
This event follows recent lightning strike incidents in 2024, including a Japan Airlines Boeing 737 that encountered two strikes on April 3 shortly after takeoff from Miyazaki Airport (KMI) and an Air Canada Boeing 777-300ER that was struck during departure from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on March 9. Unlike the Delta flight, these aircraft completed their journeys after thorough in-flight evaluations.
While aircraft are engineered to withstand lightning impacts, these occurrences highlight the importance of immediate inspection protocols to ensure passenger and crew safety.
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