7 hospitalized after Lufthansa flight makes emergency landing at DC airport after lighting struck

Seven were hospitalized after a Lufthansa Airlines flight from Austin to Frankfurt crash-landed in Washington D.C. after being struck by lightning and plunging 300 feet while the no seatbelt sign was off.

Terrified passengers were surrounded by “a lot of broken glass” and took off screaming in terror after Lufthansa Flight 469 hit a traumatic wave of turbulence at 37,000 feet on Wednesday as they flew over Tennessee.

The flight landed at Washington-Dulles International Airport around 9 p.m., just three hours into the 10.5-hour flight to Germany. Seven occupants were taken to hospital with unknown injuries.

A man, who claimed his wife was on board, said the “people who didn’t fasten their seatbelts got hurt, mostly because it came as a surprise” after the plane was struck by lightning.

A photo sent to him by the man’s wife shows trays of food and containers, cutlery and pamphlets scattered down the aisle after landing.

The flight landed at Washington-Dulles International Airport around 9 p.m., just three hours after a 10.5-hour flight from Austin to Germany. Seven occupants were taken to hospital with unknown injuries

A passenger, who spoke anonymously to the Washington Postsaid food “went into the air and hit and even damaged the ceiling of the plane.”

The passenger in line ahead of them had to be wheeled off the plane in a wheelchair after being “seriously injured” and bleeding profusely.

Another person whose sister and brother-in-law were on the run said it was “exceptionally scary, (with) a lot of broken glass and screaming and multiple injuries,” according to The sun.

The airline has offered passengers a link to request a refund after an angry passenger Ashley wrote on Twitter: “Many of our plans have been compromised, our clothes have been ruined and we certainly expect a lot more than just a hotel tonight.”

“We would like immediate assistance and compensation for the catastrophic emergency landing incident involving LH469,” she wrote.

The airline provides hotel accommodation for the passengers.

A man who claimed his wife was on the flight said the “people who didn’t fasten seatbelts got hurt, mostly because it came as a surprise” after the plane was struck by lightning

Another passenger thanked the crew for looking after them during the scary experience, writing: ‘@lufthansa thank you so much for your incredible care of Flt 469 tonight! My family will be eternally grateful for the skill of the pilot and co-pilot and the care of the crew.”

The FAA is investigating the incident.

Earlier this week, American Airlines’ criminal charges against Tiffany Michelle Miles, 36, of DC, were dropped after she allegedly attempted to breach the cockpit when the crew failed to serve her drink fast enough, forcing the pilot to crash-land.

Miles, 36, who was on a flight from Jacksonville, Florida, to Washington, D.C., prompted the airline to make an emergency landing in North Carolina after she reportedly became agitated when she couldn’t get her hands on an alcoholic beverage fast enough.

They landed at D.C. airport three hours into the flight, and the airline is providing hotel accommodations to the passengers

She was arrested Wednesday and initially faced a felony airport obstruction, which carries a 20-year prison sentence.

Miles was able to escape from jail and learned on Friday from the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority Police that the charges had been dismissed.

She claims she went to the bathroom – not trying to storm the cockpit.

Miles said she was “relieved” but needed to talk to her legal team. She added, “if no one is suing me now, what is all the fuss about?”