Plane returns to O'Hare safely after lightning strike

Passengers aboard an American Airlines jet bound for Reno had a short but eventful flight after lightning struck their 737 Thursday morning.

The plane left O'Hare International Airport at 10:16 a.m. carrying 160 passengers and five crew members, American Airlines spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said.

After lightning hit the front windshield area, the pilots declared an emergency and the plane returned to O'Hare without incident.

American Flight 1487 ran into lightning 50 miles west of the airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Passengers were transferred to another plane, which arrived at Reno-Tahoe International Airport at 3 p.m.

The incident involving the Boeing 737-800 is under investigation by the FAA.

The jet was taken out of service and mechanics are looking at the air-conditioning system for damage.

Veteran commercial pilot Dennis Tajer of Arlington Heights said lightning strikes are fairly uncommon but they do occur and airplanes are designed and tested for that eventuality.

"From the engineering side right on through to the pilots handling the effects of a lightning strike, you could see all of that came together and the plane safely landed," said Tajer, a spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association.

Some years ago when he was a pilot with the U.S. Air Force, Tajer experienced a lightning strike while flying in Europe. "I don't recall seeing any flash but I definitely heard the sound - it was quite a loud event," he said. "It gets your attention."