Concorde pilots land manually after electricity bolt takes out auto pilot.

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British Airways Concorde pilots were forced to land their aircraft manually after encountering a freak weather system know as St Elmo's fire.

The aircraft received a bolt of static electricity as it passed through the rare storm condition, disengaging the auto pilot and forcing the pilots to take manual control as they were preparing to land at Heathrow airport, according to a PA News report.

None of the 28 passengers on board were aware of any problem and the aircraft landed normally without further incident.

A Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson confirmed to PA News that a report had been filed by the pilots on the incident earlier this year. She added, 'Concorde aircraft are not the newest planes so flying them manually is quite normal.'

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