An IndiGo flight from Patna to Lucknow was struck by lightning at 17,000 feet on October 7, crumpling the aircraft’s nose. All 104 passengers and six crew members were unhurt. Here is what happened and why it matters.

Flight 6E925 took off from Patna at 3:10 pm and was hit during a hailstorm while approaching Lucknow. The pilot contacted air traffic control, which cleared the runway and put ambulances on standby. The Airbus landed safely at 4:05 pm, eight minutes ahead of schedule.

The strike pushed in the aircraft’s radome, the nose cone that houses weather radar. The plane was grounded and declared Aircraft on Ground, meaning it cannot fly until repairs and DGCA clearance are complete. A DGCA probe is under way. Passengers for the onward Lucknow-Ahmedabad flight were moved to another aircraft.

Serious lightning damage is rare. Modern airliners have aluminium skins and shielding that channel electricity around the fuselage. Lightning has not caused a catastrophic crash since 1963, when Pan Am Flight 214 was destroyed mid-air.