Cebu Pacific plane from Caticlan allegedly struck by lightning
KALIBO, Aklan–Just 40 minutes after takeoff from Caticlan (Boracay) Airport in Aklan at 6:50 a.m., a Cebu Pacific plane bound for Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila experienced light turbulence on Tuesday.
The fasten-your-seatbelt sign was turned on. Minutes later, a loud explosion occurred followed by a blast of a red light bulb.
The woman cabin crew sitting at the back of Flight 5J 892 screamed in horror while everyone was in shock of what they heard and saw.
She immediately called the pilot through an intercom and gave the 37 passengers on board a smile.
“It was just a lightning. Nothing to worry,” she said.
READ: Lightning strikes airliner, forces return to Los Angeles
But each passenger could be seen worried as they tried to understand what really happened.
“I screamed because it’s my first time to experience such loud explosion since I work here for 6 years,” said April, one of the cabin crew of the 72-seater Cebu Pacific propeller plane. The other male cabin crew disclosed that the lightning receptor of the plane received the voltage so the plane was safe.
“Kinabahan ako du’n ng sobra. Lagi akong sumasakay sa eroplano pero first time ko naka-experience ng ganun,” said Liezl de Asis, one of the passengers.
(I was really nervous. I always ride the plane but it was my first time to experience something like that.)
After a while the woman cabin crew went inside the cockpit and the first pilot went out. Everyone thought the first pilot would say something but he went directly to the toilet. Then, after a while the captain announced that the plane was about to descend and the explosion was just caused by the lightning, assuring everyone that the passengers are all safe.
“May panalangin pa rin tayo. Ligtas ang dating natin (We prayed because we landed safely),” said de Asis.
In the bus going to terminal Mayette Rodgriguez, the first passenger to go down the plane said “that (she) really heard a very loud explosion. The plane started to have an erratic movement. Good thing we are all safe.”
