Tigerair flight struck by lightning mid-air; turns back to Melbourne

Mid-air lightning strike forced Tigerair go back to Melbourne Airport. The plane continued to circle the skies for about 45 minutes before it could land.  The aircraft's lights dimmed and some passengers were in tears after it was struck by lightning.
There was reportedly a big flash out on the left-hand side wing. Passengers were bouncing all over the place after the aircraft was struck by lightning, ABC News reported.

"It was rough, quite a few very distressed passengers as you can imagine, lots of sick bags being passed around," Juniper, a passenger, was quoted as saying. Children were in tears, and women next seat were holding onto the seat in front, she said. "The flight attendant who walked out at the end of the night with us did say to us the captain was really worried."

A Tigerair Australia spokesperson confirmed that the plane was struck by lightning. The captain diverted back to Melbourne and the aircraft landed without incident, a Tigerair Australia statement stated. The aircraft has been inspected and cleared for service, it said.