Lightning Strike Prompts Hawaiian Airlines Diversion
On a recent Sunday, Hawaiian Airlines Flight 5, scheduled to fly from Las Vegas to Honolulu, experienced a series of unexpected events. The flight initially departed, albeit 90 minutes behind schedule for reasons unknown. However, the delays were only the start of the flight's troubles. After reportedly being struck by lightning, the A330-200 widebody jetliner made a swift return to Las Vegas, touching down just 21 minutes after takeoff, as reported by the flight tracking website Flightaware.
Hawaiian Airlines confirmed the lightning strike incident to local Las Vegas news outlets, acknowledging that their flight had indeed been struck by lightning. The flight was carrying 289 passengers and crew members on the trans-Pacific journey.
Following the lightning strike, Flight 5 resumed ...