Lightning struck a JetBlue airliner soon after takeoff from Los Angeles International Airport Thursday amid a major storm, but no injuries were reported and the pilot turned around and made a safe landing, authorities said.
The incident occurred about 10:45 a.m. as rain, thunder and lightning blasted the Los Angeles area.
Flight 324 was en route to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, according to LAX and the Federal Aviation Administration.
The plane turned around after the lightning stike and landed safely about 11:30 a.m., an LAX official said. It will undergo a safety inspection.
The storm drenched most parts of Southern California and was the first in a series of three storms headed to Southern California over a few-day period.