Nose of Austrian Airlines plane destroyed by hailstorm

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VIENNA, Austria – Passengers and crew onboard an Austrian Airlines flight had a "dramatic" landing on Sunday after flying through a hail-producing thunderstorm that tore off the plane's nose and cracked the cockpit windows.

A spokesperson from Austrian Airlines told FOX Business the aircraft was flying from Spain’s Balearic Islands to Austria on Sunday when it "encountered a thunderstorm cell during the approach to Vienna, which, according to the cockpit crew, was not visible on the weather radar."

Photos show damage to the Austrian Airlines Airbus A320 plane after flying through a thunderstorm on Sunday, June 9, 2024.

(Karl Boentner)

Hailstones typically form in the middle of thunderstorm clouds. The larger the hail, the faster the stone will fall. Baseball-sized hail can reach speeds close to 100 mph. 

According to FlightAware.com, Austrian Airlines Flight 34 departed Spain's Balearic Islands at 3:40 p.m. CET, approaching Vienna just before 6 p.m. local time. 

The crew made a Mayday distress call because of the storm damage.  

Flightaware.com data shows Austrian Airlines Flight 34 was approaching Vienna around 5:59 p.m. on June 9, 2024.

(FOX Weather)

According to the airline spokesperson, hail damaged the two front cockpit windows, the plane's nose and some coverings. Photos from passenger Karl Boentner show the missing covering for the nose cone and the damaged front windows of the aircraft. 

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The airline said no passengers were injured during the incident.

Boentner said in a Facebook post that the plane "lurched up and down several times," and the approach to the airport was "dramatic."

Boentner said the passengers only realized the severity of the situation when the crew told them they would have a difficult landing. 

"The pilots and crew acted in an exemplary manner and did not allow panic to arise onboard! We are more than happy to be able to hug our children! All of our little problems will become irrelevant in a few minutes! You're just a passenger here and all you can do is keep your cool and hope everything goes well," Boentner said. 

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Emergency crews met the aircraft on the runway, and the plane could not taxi to the terminal under its own power.

Information in this article was provided using Google Translate.