Watch: Passenger plane gets struck by lightning right after takeoff

A shocking video of a passenger plane getting struck by lightning just after takeoff in Canada is going viral on social media.

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UK news agency Metro reported that aviation student Ethan West filmed the viral video. The clip showed an Air Canada Boeing 777 aircraft – heading for London’s Heathrow Airport – getting hit by lightning moments after it took to the sky.

The witness gasped in shock but the aircraft remained unaffected.

Ethan West, talking about the incident, said he watches planes take off and land after taking classes. The aspiring aviator added that wanted to film the Boeing 777 aircraft as it is one of his “favourite” aeroplanes and is ” super loud”

“I saw there was a 777-300 taking off that was going to be heading for London Heathrow, and the 777 is one of my favourite aircraft and is the largest twin-engine aircraft, so I thought it’d be interesting to snap a quick video of it because it’s super loud,” he said.

He continued, “I was just wondering what was going to happen. From my perspective, I was wondering if they were going to have to divert because I know that there’s, obviously, checklists that they’re going to have to follow. I know that there wouldn’t be any serious issues but just wondering if they’re going to have to divert, and if even the passengers knew what was going on.”

The report states that a lightning strike on an aircraft poses little to no danger to the passengers and crew.

After the plane gets grounded after a lightning strike, the crew attaches a wire to the plane right after it becomes stationary. It dissipates any electrical energy stored in the plane.

It added that such instances happen just once or twice in year.