Newark — A Swiss International Air Lines Airbus A330 operating flight SWR18P from Zurich to Newark declared a PAN-PAN on Saturday, November 15th evening after being struck by lightning during descent. The aircraft landed safely at 07:19 PM local time on Runway 22L, and later underwent the necessary post-lightning-strike inspections.
The aircraft involved, HB-JHA, with 134 people on board, was descending through about 11,000 feet when it encountered the lightning strike. The crew radioed New York Approach to declare an urgency situation and request priority. Based on ATC recordings, You Can See ATC reports the exchange as follows:
“Swiss 189P, we are declaring a PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN. We have some light electrical smell in the cockpit and in the cabin after a lightning strike 5 minutes ago.”
ATC acknowledged the call immediately, cleared the aircraft direct to IZKEO to fast track the landing.
Approach: “Swiss Air 18P Heavy, roger. Proceed direct IZKEO then. Do you need any further assistance?”
The aircraft continued without further complications and landed safely. Tracking data shows HB-JHA remained on the ground close to 71 hours. The notably long downtime that aligns with intensive lightning-strike inspections.
How Common Are Lightning Strikes on Commercial Aircraft?
Lightning strikes are far more common than passengers think. According to the U.S. National Weather Service, a typical airliner is struck about once or twice per year. Commercial jets are engineered with conductive skin panels, bonding straps, and static discharge wicks that channel lightning around the fuselage and out through the extremities, making these events overwhelmingly non-hazardous.
Modern airliners are effectively built as flying Faraday cages or conductive structures that allow electrical energy to flow around, rather than through, the interior. When lightning strikes an aircraft, the current typically travels along the outer aluminum or composite skin and exits through another point on the airframe, such as a wingtip or tail. This phenomenon, known as the Faraday cage effect, protects the cabin, avionics, and fuel tanks from the electrical surge. While the strike may leave scorch marks or minor surface damage, the interior of the aircraft remains shielded, which is why lightning strikes on commercial jets almost never compromise safety.
However, aviation regulations require mandatory inspections after any suspected strike, even when aircraft systems appear normal. If the crew reports odors, unusual sounds, or anomalies, the inspection becomes significantly more detailed. This is why even safe post-strike landings can lead to multi-day groundings, as seen in this case.
Why the Crew Declared PAN-PAN
A PAN-PAN call indicates an urgent situation requiring priority handling, but not an immediate threat to safety. In this case, the aircraft remained fully controllable, with no smoke and no system failures but the light electrical smell in both cockpit and cabin warranted caution.
This is different from a MAYDAY declaration that is reserved for distress, where the aircraft faces a grave and imminent danger.
Post-Landing Findings and Aircraft Grounding
According to The Aviation Herald’s incident report (ID 52fcf720), maintenance crews in Newark later found traces of a lightning strike on the aircraft during the initial inspection.
The aircraft’s scheduled return flight was cancelled, and passengers were re-booked onto other services.
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