MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) - A passenger jet landed safely at Miami International Airport after, officials said, it was struck by lightning, Friday night.
American Airlines Flight 134 was on its way to Seattle when, officials said, it was forced to return to MIA shortly after takeoff.
One passenger who spoke to 7News on the phone described the tense moments. “We took off, and all of a sudden, I saw a big blue light,” he said. “The plane started shaking a little, started smelling a little burnt.”
Another passenger who spoke to 7News from the American Airlines terminal at MIA said the pilot then addressed the situation. “The pilot said we were going to turn around and going back because we got hit by lightning, and they wanted to make sure everything was OK,” he said.
According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, the aircraft landed safely, and no one was hurt.
Cellphone video taken by 7News reporter Andrew Scheinthal from inside another plane shows rescue crews on the tarmac, along with flashes of lightning and some heavy rain. Another clip shows an ambulance driving across the tarmac.
As we landed, reports of another plane at @iflymia possibly being hit by lightning. Crews staged as a precaution. @wsvn @MiamiDadeFire pic.twitter.com/YOxUehBSkQ
— Andrew Scheinthal (@AScheinthalNews) September 2, 2017
First responders were on the scene as a safety precaution.
The passenger who spoke to 7News from the terminal praised the pilot for handling the situation expertly. “We got back. That guy did a wonderful job landing that plane, and it was a little scary of a landing,” he said. “I’ve been through a lot of landings, and that one was pretty tough.”
A spokesperson for American Airlines sent a statement that reads in part, “The flight landed safely and is currently being replaced by another aircraft. We will get our passengers on their way as soon as possible.”
The new flight was scheduled to take off Saturday at 8:23 p.m.
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