Lightning hits F/A-18 fighter jet, leaves pilot shaken in rare cockpit VIDEO

The moment when a lightning strike hit an F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet was captured on video by a cockpit cam. The jolt has left the pilot visibly shaken and even left markings on the plane’s canopy.

The video posted by a Kuwaiti fighter jet pilot shows his daring experience when the skies scored a direct lightning strike on his plane.

The strike was heard within the cockpit as a loud thump and made the pilot squirm in his seat. The bolt left visible markings on the canopy.

While the pilot has walked away from the freak accident unharmed, the plane has reportedly sustained damage. The extent of it, however, was not immediately known.

Modern planes – both civilian and military – are well prepared for such an unlikely occurrence, designed to withstand a lightning strike without damage to crew, passengers or their own vital systems. An (un)lucky strike on a plane’s soft spot – like a nearly empty fuel tank, full of flammable vapors – can easily result in catastrophe, however.

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