Miley Cyrus' jet struck by lightning makes emergency landing

Pop star Miley Cyrus's travel plans were shattered by a bolt out of the blue. Photo / Supplied

Singer Miley Cyrus had her travel plans shattered by an electrical storm over Paraguay, forcing her flight to make an emergency landing.

The musician and Hannah Montanna alter-ego was on her way to perform at the Asunciónico music festival on Wednesday when the plane she was on was struck by lightning.

While many South American fans were disappointed by the news, Cyrus shared her apologies and news that she dodged disaster. Photos on the star's Instagram account showed a deep welt in the jet's wing, purportedly where the plane was struck by a lightning bolt.

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A post shared by Miley Cyrus (@mileycyrus)

"To my fans and everyone worried after hearing about my flight to Asunción," Cyrus wrote. "Our plane was caught in a major unexpected storm and struck by lighting. My crew, band, friends and family who were all traveling with me are safe after an emergency landing. We were unfortunately unable to fly into Paraguay. I LOVE YOU."

Bad weather has plagued the festival in Paraguay. The first day of the festival had to be cancelled after torrential rain. This wiped opening acts by the Foo Fighters and Doja Cat off the set list, cancelling the performances of the A-List artists.

The rest of Miley Cyrus' world tour would continue, with her set to appear at Brazil's Lollapalooza festival on Saturday, before heading to Bogota in Colombia.

What happens when a plane is struck by lightning?

With huge numbers of planes airborne at any one moment, lightning strikes are not as unusual as you'd think. However, they're rarely severe.

According to Simple Flying, only eight out of 3,000 aircraft incidents recorded in the past two decades were caused by lightning.

Particularly around the tropics electrical storms can be a regular obstacle to pilots. While large passenger jets for commercial airlines can ride through a storm, smaller planes might not be as highly rated for lightning strikes.

In smaller planes, instruments and thin fuel tanks can be prone to damage from electrical storms.

If a plane is struck by lightning, pilots will run a systems check. If they find an issue, the aircraft will divert to the nearest airport. Which can be a challenge in stormy conditions.