The air was alive around Dulles Sunday morning…2 strikes on express jets within a few minutes.
wusa9.com/news/local/story.a … ryid=70866
Continental Express EWR-IAD BTA1202 ERJ-135, diverted to BWI. [Given its location, not sure why to BWI, when IAD was just ahead.]
flightaware.com/live/flight/BTA1 … /KEWR/KIAD
United Express IAD-YYZ CHQ7795 ERJ-145, returned to IAD.
flightaware.com/live/flight/CHQ7 … /KIAD/CYYZ
Not all that unusual, I guess.
[quote=“darwit88b”]
Continental Express EWR-IAD BTA1202 ERJ-135, diverted to BWI. [Given its location, **not sure why to BWI, when IAD was just ahead[/quote]
.]
Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in the first sentence of your post… 
Looks like they started to divert to DCA, and THEN went to BWI. I wonder if that was a weather issue, or if BWI was a better choice for accommodating international pax.
The unknown here is where the cell was that was producing the lightning.
Judging by the position of CHQ7795 when he returned to land and where BTA1202 was when he diverted, the WX was most likely north of IAD on the final approaches to the 19s.
It would the make sense that BTA decided he could not safely fly the approach to IAD after the lightning strike and diverted to BWI (the 360 was probably needed for ATC coordination) and when CHA turned north on course he got a look at the WX on his route and took a hit then decided to call it a day.
Then WX around here was lousy all day. TRW+ and R+ all day and into the evening. Some places around here got 4 inches of rain.