Video shows lightning hitting passenger plane

Tired air traffic controllers, terror alerts, unruly passengers — flying today can be a distressing experience. Just ask the passengers of an Emirates Airbus 380 which was hit by lightning last month while landing in London, England.

Video captured by photographer Chris Dawson shows fiery tendrils of energy striking the plane. As scary as this looks, the lightning never posed a serious threat to the flight, which landed safely soon afterward.

David Learmount, operations and safety editor for the website Flightglobal, told the Daily Mail that "Planes get hit by lightning several times a year ... Manufacturers must make aircraft capable of withstanding a lightning strike and protecting those inside."

The metal in a plane's body allows it to act as a conductor, letting electricity pass through it without causing damage.

"If it didn't have the metal, the plane could explode when hit," says Learmount.