Plane Carrying New French President Hit By Lightning Just Hours After Taking Office
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By: Matt Molnar
Tags: Dassault Falcon 7X, Dassault Falcon 900, France, French Air Force, lightning
French Air Force Dassault Falcon 7X (F-RAFA) on approach to JFK for the United Nations General Assembly 2010. (Photo by Tom Turner)
France’s new President Francois Hollande got an electrifying welcome aboard his new ride on Tuesday when the French Presidential plane was hit by lightning, just hours after taking office.
Hollande was on French Air Force Dassault Falcon 7X flying from Paris to Berlin for a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel when the bolt struck, according to an AP report. No one was injured, but the 14-seat, tri-engined jet returned to Paris as a precaution.
The President and his entourage were reaccommodated on a larger French Air Force Dassault Falcon 900 which got them to Berlin about 1 1/2 hours late.
