Overview
- A lightning strike hit a LATAM Airlines plane en route from Antofagasta to Santiago minutes before landing and a passenger recorded a bright flash and loud bang that startled people on board.
- LATAM confirmed the aircraft landed normally at Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benítez Airport and said all passengers and crew were safe with no injuries reported.
- The airline explained that modern airframes and their conductive outer skin and systems are designed to route and dissipate lightning discharges without compromising structural integrity or occupant safety.
- The video was posted on X by the account Hechosanderecho and drew wide online attention, though at least one outlet noted it could not independently verify the original post.
- Weather reports say heavy rain and thunderstorms were affecting Chile’s Metropolitan Region at the time, and there are no public reports of regulatory probes or formal damage assessments related to the flight.