An American Airlines flight was rerouted to Pittsburgh after a suspected lightning strike.
Flight 4642, operated by Regional Jet, departed from Columbus, Ohio, en route to Boston, Massachusetts, at 6:55 a.m. EST on Tuesday. However, the plane landed at Pittsburgh International Airport at 7:58 a.m. following reports from the crew that the aircraft may have been struck by lightning.
All 74 passengers and crew safely disembarked in Pittsburgh, according to journalist Paul Rasmussen from KDKA. In air traffic control audio shared by a local radio station, the crew confirmed, “They’re reporting they were struck by lightning.”
The Embraer 175, a regional jet designed for shorter flights, showed no visible damage after inspection by fire crews.
Regional Jet issued a statement to DailyMail.com, explaining that the flight was diverted “as a precaution after experiencing a possible lightning strike shortly after departing CMH.” The statement added, “The flight landed without incident, taxied to the gate under its own power, and a replacement aircraft is being arranged to complete the journey to BOS. Maintenance is currently inspecting the original aircraft.”
This incident follows other alarming events in aviation this month, including a near collision between a Delta plane and a private jet at Los Angeles Airport last Friday.
(This is a BREAKING NEWS. More details are awaited.)
