A CF-18 was struck by lightning about 50 miles away from Whitecourt, Alberta, on July 24.
The pilot, Capt. Adam Runge, was flying to Whitecourt for participating in the Hometown Heroes Airshow. He was about 50 miles short of his final destination when his aircraft was struck by lightning.
However, Runge managed to safely land at Whitecourt airport. No damage to the aircraft or pilot has been reported.
“A clearly defined bolt stretched from the clouds towards the aircraft…It was probably just a split second, we’re talking not even half a second I’m guessing, that it hit the aircraft around the cockpit area…It was just a short tingle,” said Runge.
The manager of Whitecourt airport, William Stewart said “He [the pilot] said the electronics did a flash on him and he had a tingling sensation during the strike, but after that, everything seemed to function as it was supposed to.”