Plane hit by lightning makes emergency landing at JFK

A plane bound for LaGuardia Airport from North Carolina was forced to make an emergency landing at JFK after being hit by lightning late Thursday afternoon.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Republic Airlines 4233, an Embraer E170 that was flying out of Raleigh-Durham, landed safely just after 6 p.m. after reporting a lightning strike. The were no reported injuries according to the FAA.

“There was a flash of light right outside the first row window on the left hand side of the plane and then a tremendous bang. It just lit up blue inside the plane,” a passenger told CBS New York. Another passenger told the station the plane was on the runway for 20 to 30 minutes after landing, after police and emergency responders wearing hazmat suits inspected the plane, which suffered a damaged wing in the hit.