They say lightning never strikes twice — but one observant onlooker did catch two separate lightning strikes hitting planes approaching Seattle’s Sea-Tac Airport as they were landing. Both flights landed without incident, though those onboard say the moment the lightning hit the planes was a rough, albeit very brief experience. [More]
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If You’re Not Cooking With Hot Lava Or Lightning, Just Quit Calling Yourself A Grillmaster Now
By 7.31.14 — Updated: 5.2.17
I’m not here to burst your happy grilling bubble, but come on — can you really consider yourself a master of the art of grilling if you haven’t tried cooking with hot lava? What about lightning? Maybe. But bending the forces of nature to do your culinary bidding? There’s no topping that, at least not yet. Call me when you beat an egg with a tornado. [More]
Woman Struck By Lightning While Cashing Out At The Grocery Store
By 7.16.13
Did you think that you were safe from lightning strikes while you’re indoors, paying for your groceries? Apparently not. A woman standing in line at a Louisiana supermarket was struck by lightning, a baffling event that a meteorologist called “one-in-a-million.” She ended up in the hospital, and business went on as usual in the store. [More]
Atlantic Southeast Airlines Fined $425K For Not Inspecting Planes Following Lightning Strikes
By 6.17.11 — Updated: 9.8.16
Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a regional carrier for Delta, was fined $425,000 by the Federal Aviation Administration for neglecting to inspect two of its jets after they were struck by lightning in July 2008. The FAA says the airline operated 13 flights before the planes were inspected. [More]
Comcast Says Lightning Caused Emergency Alert System To Show QVC
By 8.8.09
Remember Jim? His Comcast cable box randomly responded to the emergency alert system (EAS) by tuning in to QVC. According to a source inside Comcast, rogue lightning strikes set off the EAS, even though there wasn’t an emergency. Two things happen when the EAS activates: the cable box switches to a local channel, and Comcast replaces the local programming with an alert. In Jim’s case, the box switched to the emergency channel—which happened to be QVC—but since there wasn’t an emergency, there was no special broadcast. So what can you do next time your cable box independently declares an emergency?
iPods Download Lightning?
By 7.13.07
An iPod won’t attract lightning, but it will make your injuries worse if you are struck by it, according to the New England Journal of Medicine. A 35 year-old man was brought into the emergency room after having been struck by lightning that had jumped to his body after striking a tree, a phenomenon known as “side flash.”
Lightning Strike Causes JetBlue Flight To Arrive 20 Minutes Early
By 6.1.07
The JetBlue Airways Airbus A320 was heading from Rochester to John F. Kennedy International Airport when the lightning hit it, causing a smell similar to that of an electrical fire to enter the passenger cabin, company spokesman Bryan Baldwin said. There was no fire or smoke, he said.
Because it was potentially on fire, the flight got to skip ahead of other scheduled flights and arrived 20 minutes early. Hooray? —MEGHANN MARCO
