A pilot saved his passengers with only seven seconds to spare after his plane was struck by lightning and went into a steep dive. The aircraft fell to 1100 feet before the pilot was able to wrest back control. He applied full power only moments before it would have crashed into the icy North Sea.The near-disaster occurred as the Loganair flight from Aberdeen, Scotland, carrying 30 passengers and three crew, approached its destination, Sumburgh Airport, in the Shetlands.A bolt of lightning struck the plane's nose and passengers aboard the Saab 2000 sat in terror as the aircraft failed to respond to the controls and climb, and instead went into a nosedive, losing height at 9500 feet a minute. The crew had barely 20 seconds in which to regain control.At 1100 feet, as "pull up" alarms sounded in the cabin, the captain applied full power and the aircraft finally started to climb.The plane diverted to Aberdeen where it landed safely, with only minor damage.It is believed that the aircraft's autopilot computer resisted the pilot's efforts to take manual control. Only when overloaded with faulty data during the plunge did it disengage itself and allow the pilot to save the flight.Passenger Shona Manson said of the flight: "It was really, really bumpy." ..