After dramatic footage captured a BA plane being struck by lightning, pilots reveal how often bolts hit aircraft, what they do to them - and whether passengers should be worried...

Dramatic footage captured nan infinitesimal a British Airways plane was struck by lightning connected its attack to Heathrow Airport connected Sunday.

One rider described nan arena arsenic 'shocking'.

But really worried should passengers beryllium if their level is struck by lightning?

Not very worried astatine each is nan reply from nan experts. Here seasoned erstwhile aviator Terry Tozer, writer of Confessions of an Airline Pilot - Why Planes Crash, Air Canada skipper Doug Morris and James Moy, a flying coach astatine Flight Sport Aviation, uncover really communal lightning strikes are and what happens to a level erstwhile it's struck by a bolt.   

How communal are lightning strikes connected planes?

Writing successful his book This Is Your Captain Speaking, Doug Morris explains: 'Statistics show an airliner gets deed [by lightning] each 5,000 hours, aliases astir erstwhile a year. The FAA estimates each airliner successful nan U.S will beryllium struck erstwhile a year.'

What happens to a level erstwhile it's deed by lightning?

Not overmuch astatine all, reveals Terry, who explained: 'A lightning onslaught tin upset immoderate of nan instruments but it's not usually a really superior rumor because nan craft isn't earthed. You tin person lightning going successful 1 extremity and retired nan different and location mightiness only beryllium superficial damage.

'I've only knowledgeable it erstwhile – we had a mini spread successful nan chemoreceptor cone and nan exit constituent successful nan tail had burnt done a mini portion of nan tailfin support, truthful it had to beryllium taken retired of service.

'It was good for a impermanent formation without passengers.

'After a lightning strike, it's apt you'd request nan craft checked complete to make judge each nan compasses and electronics haven't gone haywire.'

What do nan pilots do erstwhile nan level is deed by lightning? Would they beryllium alert of it?

Terry said: 'Probably, but it depends what happens. You could beryllium flying successful unreality and spot a agleam flash, but you wouldn't needfully cognize that it had deed you, unless location was immoderate different indication, for illustration instruments behaving oddly aliases thing for illustration that.'

James commented: 'The lightning onslaught whitethorn origin a impermanent disruption successful connection aliases navigation systems, but modern craft are equipped to withstand and dissipate nan power from a lightning strike. The plane's systems are designed to proceed operating usually aft a lightning strike.'

Terry added: ' 

Can pilots expect a lightning strike?

Terry said: 'Normally, connected a modern aircraft, specified arsenic nan past location pitchy I flew, location is lightning detecting instrumentality arsenic good arsenic upwind radar.

'Lightning usually comes from cumulonimbus thunderstorm clouds and they usually overgarment connected nan radar.

'You do occasionally get "dry storms", which if they don't person capable moisture successful them to show up connected radar could astonishment you.

'But if you've sewage lightning detectors, they usually show you wherever nan lightning is.'

What mightiness passengers experience?

Terry said: 'There person been melodramatic tales of balls of lightning travelling down nan compartment from 1 extremity to nan other, nary uncertainty terrifying everybody.

'But it's not apt to do thing drastic.'

Should passengers beryllium worried?

Terry said: 'Not really. Your occupation astatine nan pointy extremity is consequence management, truthful it's little than an perfect business to beryllium struck by lightning, truthful evidently you would effort and debar it.

'It would astir apt beryllium worse if you ran into dense hail, because that tin really do beingness harm to nan aircraft.

'We've seen chemoreceptor cones smashed and windows damaged. But hail ought to show up connected your upwind radar.

'The upwind is some powerful and unpredictable and you tin ne'er wholly destruct each risk.

'But mostly speaking, lightning is thing that astir modern craft are tin of dealing with.'

James concurred: 'The aviator whitethorn pass pinch passengers, providing reassurance and updates arsenic needed, but generally, location is nary origin for alarm. Passengers should consciousness assured successful nan aircraft's expertise to withstand lightning strikes.'

Terry added that lightning is usually thing much than a 'bl***y nuisance... because if nan craft is affected and it needs to person nan compasses swung again and reset and past it’s retired of service, nan full schedule is disrupted... it’s not going to destruct captious structures aliases thing for illustration that'.