Plane punctured by hailstones in freak storm

Ananova ^ | 05/27/2003

[dighton]

Passengers on a Manchester-bound holiday jet were subjected to a horrifying ordeal when their plane was punctured by hailstones in a freak lightning storm.

Hailstones the size of golf balls smashed into the aircraft, punching a hole the size of a football into the nosecone.

The drama happened as more than 200 passengers returned to the UK from a holiday in Cyprus.

The aircraft dived as it was buffeted by turbulence at 34,000 ft sending passengers sprawling into the aisles and leaving them in fear of their lives.

The drama on the BMI Airbus A321 happened as it cruised over Germany on its way back to Manchester from Cyprus.

Passengers only realised the full extent of the mid-air drama when they got off the plane when it landed at Manchester Airport.

Bruce Johnstone, 47, a photojournalist who, with his wife Janet, owns a series of radio stations in New Zealand, took pictures of the damaged plane after he got off.

He said: “It was like a hail of bullets and then a huge thump. Everyone was screaming and we are lucky to be alive. Everyone clapped and cheered when we landed.”

Flight BD8412 got into trouble two-and-half hours into the four-and-half-hour trip from Larnaca in Cyprus.

A spokesman for Manchester Airport confirmed the plane had been damaged by a lightning strike and a hail-storm. He said air accident investigators had been informed.

[dighton]

[Zavien Doombringer]

Wow, I have sesen worse though. This is bad enough. You should see what a flock of birds can do! I am suprized that the Engines didn't get FODed out FOD=Foreign Object Damage.

[OXENinFLA]

Pilot to Copilot : Fly the plane for awhile I gotta go change my pants.

[r9etb]

Look at that windscreen -- probably impossible to see through it. I'm guessing the pilots had to land on instruments, side windows, and plain old seat of the pants.

I think the pilot will have the willies for a while....

[Cachelot]

Is that the paintjob flaking off all over the nose and windows? Or is it snow?

[dighton]

It's damage, very expensive if widespread.

Here's a similar incident, involving an L-1011. Click on the thumbnails to see full-sized photos.

The aircraft is stored at Lyon and will reportedly be ferried to Abu Dhabi to be broken up.

[Phantom Lord]

What! The plane didn't explode in midair after the punctures? But the anti-gun nuts keep telling me that even a tiny hole in the plane from a bullet will cause it to explode! You mean they lied to me?

[mikegi]

Pilot to Copilot : Fly the plane for awhile I gotta go change my pants.

No kidding. Wow!

[blackdog]

Pilot to Copilot....."Gee do ya think we might get an earfull about not having our radar turned on, hail and thunderstorms do paint a pretty solid image?"

Dumasses.

[aculeus]

BBC video interviews with passengers.

[null and void]

All that damage and the tail didn't fall off?