Electrifying moment lightning bolt strikes American Eagle plane full of passengers

This is the electrifying moment a bolt of lightning struck an American Eagle plane full of passengers moments after it landed during a storm in Arkansas. 

The Embraer E175 was waiting for the storm to pass before travelling to the gate when the terrifying flash of electricity blasted the aircraft yesterday afternoon. 

The cameraman, named in Viral Press as Jason William Hamm, can be heard talking about a previous bolt which struck moments earlier, saying: ‘I don’t think it hit the plane, it still would have made an amazing video though.’ 

Just seconds later another ferocious flash hits the tail of the aircraft, causing people behind Mr Hamm to hoot with excitement.   

A stream of sparks can be seen coming off the tail as onlookers shout ‘woah’ and another says ‘wow, that would not be good’. 

A stream of sparks can be seen coming off the tail as onlookers shout ‘woah’ and hoot with excitement 

Mr Hamm said today: ‘The plane was fine, it taxied to the gate normally after an extended wait on the taxiway due to the storm.’

After the strike the plane travelled to the gate and passengers got off before technicians came to assess any damage done. 

The Embraer E175 is not the first to be hit by lightning – with one shocking video showing the moment a plane carrying 140 passengers was struck as it prepared for landing. 

The Boeing 737 MAX aircraft was flying at approximately 30,000 feet and was coming in to land at the Tocumen International Airport in Panama City.

Dramatic footage captured from within the cockpit shows a powerful lightning bolt strike the nose of the plane as the pilots navigate a heavy storm.

In March a Lufthansa Airlines flight from Austin to Frankfurt made an emergency landing in Washington DC after being struck by lightning and plummeting 1,000 feet while the seatbelt sign was turned off

Flying the aircraft in almost complete darkness, the pilots were stunned by the sudden lightning strike only yards outside their window.  

In March seven people were hospitalized after a Lufthansa Airlines flight from Austin to Frankfurt made an emergency landing in Washington DC after being struck by lightning and plummeting 1,000 feet while the seatbelt sign was turned off.

Terrified passengers were surrounded by a ‘lot of broken glass’ and left screaming in terror after Lufthansa Flight 469 hit a traumatic wave of turbulence at 37,000 feet while flying over Tennessee.

The flight landed at Washington-Dulles International Airport around 9pm, just three hours into the 10.5-hour flight to Germany.