Japan Airlines plane struck by lightning

The ground crew safety inspector of Japan Airlines inspects the nose landing gear door of the aircraft after the plane was reportedly hit by a lightning prior to its arrival some 50 miles from the NAIA runway (Photo by Rudy Santos).

A Japan Airlines plane  was reportedly struck by a bolt of lightning  as  typhoon Gorio continued to lash parts of the Philippines on Friday.

The lightning reportedly struck the plane as it was cruising at at least 15, 000 feet while the pilots of the aircraft were preparing  to land at  the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.

The JAL flight, JL-741, from Narita, Japan landed at NAIA at around 1:08 p.m. and parked at bay 11 for technical inspection.

The aircraft was scheduled to depart back to Narita at 2:40 p.m. but was delayed for a few minutes when the airline ground crew safety inspector conducted a post-flight inspection to determine if there was any damage to the atmospheric electricity discharge at the nose, landing gear,  and the door of the aircraft.

The flight was allowed to depart for Japan  as the safety inspector found no damage to the aircraft.

The flight was carrying more than 200 passengers when a powerful bolt of lightning reportedly hit the carriage of the aircraft minutes before landing at the NAIA.

Manila International Airport Authority  general manager Ed Monreal said every modern aircraft has an anti-lightning device called lightning arrester to protect the  aircraft from lightning during inclement weather.

All passengers on board were safe.