Pilot captures terrifying moment his plane flies through Hurricane Ida

One pilot has been filmed flying directly through the eye of Hurricane Ida in a terrifying clip.

It’s not exactly, the best footage to watch if you’re a nervous flyer (you have been warned).

In recent days, Hurricane Ida has swept through the Caribbean and southern US states of Louisana and Mississippi and the Category 4 weather system has been travelling in winds of up to 230km/h.

During a research mission flight, the NOAA WP-3D Orion #NOAA43 Miss Piggy perilously flew over the Gulf of Mexico and directly into the path of Ida.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has since posted the astonishing video which shows the camera shakily being held while the pilots are visibly bouncing up and down as they battle against the strong turbulence.

It’s a battle that the pilots won in the end when the cockpit stops shaking as they reach the eye of Hurricane Ida.

They must have been relieved to reach the eye of the hurricane (which is 25 to 50 kilometres in diameter), because that’s where the lowest surface pressures are found.

As a result of Hurricane Ida, thousands of people have experienced power outages in New Orleans, and in its path has destroyed homes, and even reversed the flow of the Mississippi River, CNN reported.

Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards said: “This is going to be much stronger than we usually see and, quite frankly, if you had to draw up the worst possible path for a hurricane in Louisiana, it would be something very, very close to what we’re seeing.”

Despite weakening as it hit land and being downgraded to a Category 3, there are still measurements of wind gusts up to 200km/h.

President Joe Biden has promised that once the threat is over, his administration will be ready to help those affected.

“As soon as the storm passes we’re going to put the country’s full might behind the rescue and recovery,” he said. “We’re as ready as we can be.”