American Airlines passengers destined for Boston found themselves in Pittsburg after the Embraer E175 aircraft was allegedly struck by lightning.
American Airlines flight AA4642, operated by Republic Airways, was scheduled to depart from John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH), Ohio, on Tuesday, December 31, at 07:00 for Boston. The flight had a small delay on takeoff and departed at 07:10.
According to Flightradar24, the Embraer E175 took off in an easterly direction, climbing to an altitude of just over 13,000 feet before it was reportedly struck by lightning.
aLooking at the flight data, the pilot made a quick decision above the skies of Wheeling, West Virginia, and turned north before circling over Toronto and East Liverpool, Ohio, before diverting to Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT).
The flight landed safely in Pittsburgh 48 minutes after initial departure, where the airport reported that the aircraft landed safely, without incident, and no passengers or crew reported injuries onboard.
My reached out to American Airlines for a statement. However, they had not responded to us when this article was published. They did, however, share a statement with WTAE, which outlined:
"The flight was diverted to PIT as precaution after the crew reported a possible lightning strike shortly after departing."
Passengers deplaned in Pittsburgh just before 08:00. A replacement flight was scheduled for 08:40.
Still, it didn't depart until 11:52, arriving at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) at 13:02. The replacement flight was operated by a Republic Airways Embraer E175LR bearing registration N404YX.
N119HQ, the Embraer E175 struck by lightning on its departure from Columbus, remains on the apron at Pittsburg International Airport at the time of writing.
Flight data shows that it will return to Columbus this evening as AA9954 to reposition the aircraft.
Looking at data from ch-aviation, the struck aircraft held serial number 190 and initially had test registration PT-SUQ.
The aircraft is operated by Republic Airways, which took delivery on October 31, 2007.
Direct routes served by American Airlines mainline fleet from CMH include:
- Charlotte
- Dallas/Fort Worth
- Los Angeles (resuming on March 6)
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix–Sky Harbor
- Cancun (seasonal)
- Chicago O'Hare (seasonal)
- Miami (seasonal)
Its network there is supported by American Eagle, for which Republic Airways provides flights, and these routes include:
- Boston
- Charlotte
- Chicago–O'Hare
- Dallas/Fort Worth
- Miami
- New York–JFK
- New York–LaGuardia
- Philadelphia
- Washington–National
Fortunately, the passengers onboard the flight this morning were unharmed. Modern aircraft have the latest technology that can sustain many environmental conditions, which include lightning strikes.
When struck, the volts of electricity that travel through the aircraft generally exit the aircraft without causing any damage. However, most pilots will declare an emergency landing out of an abundance of safety for passengers and crew, allowing the airline to undertake a thorough safety inspection.
