This is the spectacular moment a bolt of lightning struck the tail of an American Eagle plane full of passengers in Arkansas.

The Embraer E175 had just landed and was waiting for the storm to pass before moving to the gate when the frightening streak of electricity tore from the heavens on Sunday afternoon.

Photographer Jason William Hamm is heard in the video mentioning a lightning fork seen moments earlier, saying 'I don't think it hit the plane, it still would have made an amazing video though'.

Jason thought he had missed the chance to capture the phenomenal weather but seconds later a momentous clap of thunder was heard overhead as lightning shook the aircraft.

A trail of parks was then seen coming from the tail as frightened passengers cowered inside. Onlookers began shouting 'woah, woah' as another person says 'wow, that would not be good'.

Speaking today, Jason said: 'The plane had just landed. It couldn't move to a gate because the ramp closes to everyone when lightning is detected within three miles of the airport.

'The plane was fine, it taxied to the gate normally after an extended wait on the taxiway due to the storm.'

The plane moved to the gate and the passengers disembarked before technicians checked the aircraft for damage at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock.

American Eagle is the regional branch of American Airlines.

The incident comes just days after American Eagle was fined a little more than 15,000 USD over a fatal accident in which a worker was sucked into an aircraft engine at Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama