World | Francois Hollande Day 1 as French President: Lightning Hits His Plane What a way for Francois Hollande to start his term By Evann Gastaldo Posted May 15, 2012 12:30 PM CDT Copied Reporters wait at the chancellery in Berlin for the arrival of new French President Francois Hollande, Tuesday May 15, 2012. (AP Photo/dapd/Maja Hitij) Francois Hollande started off his new job as president of France with a bang: His plane was hit by lightning today en route to Germany. It was forced to return to Paris, at which point Hollande boarded a second plane and will be about an hour and a half late for his talks with Angela Merkel in Berlin. No one was hurt, reports the BBC, which also notes that Hollande’s boarding of a new flight proves "his determination to meet with Merkel." Read These Next Theater got snarky with its Melania marquee, and Amazon was ticked. Prominent law firm chairman faces up to Epstein revelations. This publication's review of Melania just got much worse. During active shooter situation, a helicopter goes down. Report an error