A JetBlue flight traveling between Westchester and Orlando was forced to divert to New York JFK Airport on Tuesday after a lightning strike fried the weather radar. The plane was able to safely land at JFK minutes after departure, and travelers were reaccommodated onto another flight.
JetBlue flight B6 195 is a daily service from Westchester (HPN) to Orlando International Airport (MCO), and on this day, the flight had been in the air just minutes before the lightning struck the airplane. While it is common for lightning strikes to hit aircraft, it is not always common that the force is enough to fry onboard electronics.
No Passengers Or Crew Were Injured Following The Strike
On Tuesday, June 23, B6 195 was expected to depart from HPN at around 9:35 PM; however had seen delays from the inbound aircraft, which resulted in the aircraft only becoming airborne just after midnight. According to flight data, the plane pushed back from the gate at 12:06 AM and was in the air for minutes before it was struck.
Soon after the incident, the captain came over the loudspeaker to advise the passengers of the situation, and that the lightning strike had knocked out and fried the weather radar onboard. Passengers were then advised that the plane would be diverting to JFK for everyone’s safety on board.
The plane successfully touched down at JFK 44 minutes after initial departure, and passengers were able to disembark the airplane at around 12:50 AM. A replacement flight was put on for travelers the next day from JFK at 5:43 AM, and arrived in Orlando later that morning, leading to quite an overnight ordeal for those involved.
A 26.2-year-old Airbus A320-200 was involved in the incident, bearing registration N506JB (pictured). Data from ch-aviation identifies that this plane has been operating for JetBlue for almost three decades, and carries the aircraft name Wild Blue Yonder. The plane was first delivered to JetBlue back in June 2000, and is currently configured with the capacity for 150 passengers in an all-economy class layout.
The plane carries fleet number 506 and has the Spotlight livery on its exterior, which was applied in September 2024. The plane is powered by two IAE V2527-A5 engines. Further details below as per ch-aviation:
JetBlue operates a total of ten of these aircraft in the same configuration to carry 150 passengers, while more than 100 other A320-200s are in a higher density configuration, with a total capacity of 162 passengers. The smaller configuration aircraft are gradually being retired and replaced with more modern aircraft.
Passengers were re-accommodated onto a replacement flight and arrived in Las Vegas later that day.
What Happens When An Aircraft Is Struck By Lightining?
If an aircraft is struck by lightning, the electric current can usually travel harmlessly along the aircraft’s exterior conductive surfaces and will exit through the plane’s tail or wingtips. For passengers, they usually only see a bright flash as the strike occurs, followed by a loud bang. The aircraft is able to act as a protective shield, known as a Faraday cage, which keeps everyone and everything inside the aircraft out of harm’s way.
The fuselage of an aircraft is made of conductive materials, such as aluminum, which is able to force the electricity from a strike to travel outside the exterior of the cabin instead of through it. Newer airplanes have been made of some composite materials that embed copper and replicate this same effect.
Looking at the flight data for N506JB, the plane remained out of action on Tuesday while repairs were made for the weather system that was damaged in this incident. It then returned to regular service on Wednesday, June 24, operating services to Orlando, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport(DCA), and eventually back to Westchester.
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