JetBlue Plane is Struck by Lightning; Lands Safely

An airplane carrying 140 passengers was struck by lightning last evening and made an emergency landing, but no one was hurt.

The JetBlue Airways Airbus A320 was heading from Rochester to John F. Kennedy International Airport when the lightning hit it, causing a smell similar to that of an electrical fire to enter the passenger cabin, company spokesman Bryan Baldwin said. There was no fire or smoke, he said.

The emergency, which allowed Flight 43 to land at the Queens airport before other scheduled flights, meant the passengers got to their destination about 20 minutes early, Baldwin said.