If the plane was actually stuck and the lady was close to it it may have just scared the holy living %#@^ out of here causing a moment of erratic heartbeat until her pacemaker did its job.



I thought I read somewhere that composite skins would have some sort of conductive path in them to safely carry the current away from the pax onboard.

Yup. The Spruce Goose. If it were to be stuck I'd imagine the result would be a crash either from a structural failure from the exploding wood (ever seen a tree get hit?) or from fire caused by the strike.

That is correct.

Wow. Although after reading about it on the plane after it happened and seeing that it occurs frequently, I have to say when it the lightning struck, it was extremely perplexing and even a little frightening. Flying MSP>LGA , right after initial descent there was a bright flash of greenish tinted bright yellow light that went throughout the cabin accompanied by a nice loud boom. Just wondering if this is the same experience anyone else that has been through a plane lightning strike has experienced.

My MD-90 flight ATL-CLT in December was struck by lightning. I didn't know a thing until they made a gate announcement in CLT that the aircraft had been damaged by lightning and was out of service. (I was returning to CLT on the same aircraft as part of a MR.)

David

id say what u saw unusual in the way that rarely does the light refract in just the right angle and the plane is just at the right location in relation to the lightnings around, and create the colors u described.
im sure u know planes get struck by lightning all the time and its nothing to worry about thanks to a simple thing called a faraday cage.

Lighting strike on approach to Heathrow a few years ago in a 777, very loud bang but no flash I could make out, a few screams from some passengers before the Captain did his bit on the PA.

Nice to see a faraday cage actually works

There are normal pacemakers and then there are ICDs or Implantable Cardio Defibrillators. Pacemakers are used to pace, logically, patients who would have a very slow heart rate normally.

ICDs also pace but, are constantly on watch for irregular heart rhythms that could be fatal. You will often see the portable defibrillators in public spaces. Some of us are at enough risk that we carry our own.

When mine delivers "therapy", they are loath to call it a shock, it feels like I have grabbed an electric fence with both hands. It will take me to my knees and you will hear some kind of audible from me since about every muscle in my chest just contracted.

The passenger may have received a legitimate therapy or anxiety could have drove their heart rate above the trigger threshold.