Lightning Strike

[gavintc]

Well I had a first last week. I was flying to Germany with work last Mon and the aircraft was struck by lightning. It was a very loud double bang from the left hand side of the plane. Initially, I had no idea what it was. The aircraft was going through considerable turbulence and we dropped quite quickly at the same time as the strike. I must admit that I thought we had been hit by a bomb and started to collect my thoughts.

After a few minutes the pilot explained what had happened and that the turbulence would be quite severe, but the aircraft was Ok. I was more than a little worried for about 5 mins and you have time to reflect on all sorts of things.

 

[Kirstie]

Brown trouser moment.
I've been on a plane taking off in a massive storm in Ottawa - lightning was all around. I was fascinated looking out of the window but the bloke sat next to me was terrified. My constant comments 'oh wow look at the lightning' didn't help him I don't think.

 

[Globalti]

Pilots receive good incentives for using the least fuel in the month, at one time one small airline was even giving their pilots a mini car at the end of the month. So the temptation is huge to blast through a storm in a couple of minutes rather than route around it. Some people are suggesting that this may have been the start of the event cascade that caused AF447 to crash in June in the Intertropical Covergence Zone storms in the south Atlantic.

 

[gavintc]

Well it was Easyjet, so I can guarantee that their margins are cut to the bone.

 

[XmisterIS]

When lightning strikes a plane, it is not really dangerous because the plane has nowhere to ground the charge - in other words the lightning bolt is not "grounding" through the plane because PD between the plane its surroundings is virtually nil (perhaps a few volts, that's all). Plus, it acts as a giant faraday cage and so all the occupants are protected. It can screw up navigation equiment though, given that a lightning strike is a giant EM pulse!#

It's when you're standing on the ground and a lightning bolt decides discharge to ground through you that you're in trouble!

 

[Arch]

Brown trouser moment.
I've been on a plane taking off in a massive storm in Ottawa - lightning was all around. I was fascinated looking out of the window but the bloke sat next to me was terrified. My constant comments 'oh wow look at the lightning' didn't help him I don't think.

Coming back from Mexico we left at about 8pm, exactly the time we'd got used to the nightly thunderstorm and downpour at that time of year. I don't remember being too aware of it around us, but it was a little odd to look down on the flashing clouds...