Plane returns to LA after lightning strike

A flight left Los Angeles International Airport but returned within the hour after being struck by lighting.

In this photo taken Tuesday, March 24, 2015, an Alaska Airlines jet moves past others already parked at a terminal at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in SeaTac, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) Source: AP

An Alaska Airlines plane carrying 159 passengers has made a safe emergency landing in Los Angeles after it was struck by lightning.

The flight left Los Angeles International Airport for Reagan National Airport near Washington DC at Saturday lunchtime and returned within the hour.

Airline spokeswoman Bobbie Egan says passengers didn't feel anything and that the Boeing 737, which is being inspected by a maintenance crew, is designed to withstand lightning.