1fa. Lightning and AircraftLightning strikes on aircraft are not
uncommon (Figure 11-3-1). Fortunately, they seldom result in serious
damage, injury, or fatalities. During the 57-year period prior to 2009,
there were 18 reported air disasters due to lightning worldwide—less
than one every 3 years. The last confirmed U.S. civilian plane crash
attributed to lightning was reported in 1967, the result of a fuel tank
explosion.Effects of Lightning on AircraftAircraft are protected in part
by their highly conductive skins, which conduct the electrical current
around the fuselage and extremities of the plane. In the United States,
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandates high levels of
additional protection against the potential direct and indirect
consequences of lightning hits. For example, all electronic equipment
must be shielded against power surges. The nose cones of commercial
aircraft that house the radar (the radome) must be surrounded by
lightning diverter strips that act much like lightning rods do on homes.
The fuel tank and lines transporting fuel to the engines must be
protected against the possibility of any sparks that could ignite the
fuel, and the fuel itself is now designed to produce less explosive
vapors.Sometimes an existing lightning stroke will make contact with a
plane, and passengers and crew will be greeted by a bright flash and a
loud noise. Pilots may observe a flickering of lights in the cockpit. At
other times the plane itself will cause a lightning event as it passes
through a heavily ionized part of a cloud.Lightning-Strike
IncidentsThough it is rare for more than one plane to get hit by
lightning at any given time or place, such events do occasionally
happen. On February 24, 1987, at least 6 planes were struck near Los
Angeles (a location that sees relatively few lightning events). On
October 19, 2011, at least 10 planes were hit near Helsinki, Finland.And
it isn’t just planes that get struck. During the afternoon of September
12, 2013, the control tower at Baltimore-Washington International
Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) was struck by lightning—one of five
strikes to hit the airport grounds that day. One FAA employee was
injured by the strike as he attempted to turn on a generator to power
backup runway lights. The airport was forced to suspend landings and
takeoffs over a 3-hour period, ultimately cancelling a total of 118
flights, impacting air traffic across the country.Ball Lightning and
AircraftScientists have begun to examine the incidence of ball lightning
in and near planes. A recent analysis of 87 such events from 1938 to
2007 indicated that about half of these occurred inside the aircraft and
the other half outside the airframe. Sometimes the ball lightning
appeared to be a side effect of a regular lightning strike, but it can
also occur independently. Although no damage or minimal damage is
usually incurred, there have been reports of major damage and even three
aircraft downings due to ball lightning.FIGURE 11-3-1 Cloud-to-air I.
Lightning strikes a commercial aircraft in Germany....Why do lightning
strikes seldom bring down planes, despite the frequency with which
planes are hit? Get solution
2fa. Lightning and AircraftLightning strikes on aircraft are not uncommon (Figure 11-3-1). Fortunately, they seldom result in serious damage, injury, or fatalities. During the 57-year period prior to 2009, there were 18 reported air disasters due to lightning worldwide—less than one every 3 years. The last confirmed U.S. civilian plane crash attributed to lightning was reported in 1967, the result of a fuel tank explosion.Effects of Lightning on AircraftAircraft are protected in part by their highly conductive skins, which conduct the electrical current around the fuselage and extremities of the plane. In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandates high levels of additional protection against the potential direct and indirect consequences of lightning hits. For example, all electronic equipment must be shielded against power surges. The nose cones of commercial aircraft that house the radar (the radome) must be surrounded by lightning diverter strips that act much like lightning rods do on homes. The fuel tank and lines transporting fuel to the engines must be protected against the possibility of any sparks that could ignite the fuel, and the fuel itself is now designed to produce less explosive vapors.Sometimes an existing lightning stroke will make contact with a plane, and passengers and crew will be greeted by a bright flash and a loud noise. Pilots may observe a flickering of lights in the cockpit. At other times the plane itself will cause a lightning event as it passes through a heavily ionized part of a cloud.Lightning-Strike IncidentsThough it is rare for more than one plane to get hit by lightning at any given time or place, such events do occasionally happen. On February 24, 1987, at least 6 planes were struck near Los Angeles (a location that sees relatively few lightning events). On October 19, 2011, at least 10 planes were hit near Helsinki, Finland.And it isn’t just planes that get struck. During the afternoon of September 12, 2013, the control tower at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) was struck by lightning—one of five strikes to hit the airport grounds that day. One FAA employee was injured by the strike as he attempted to turn on a generator to power backup runway lights. The airport was forced to suspend landings and takeoffs over a 3-hour period, ultimately cancelling a total of 118 flights, impacting air traffic across the country.Ball Lightning and AircraftScientists have begun to examine the incidence of ball lightning in and near planes. A recent analysis of 87 such events from 1938 to 2007 indicated that about half of these occurred inside the aircraft and the other half outside the airframe. Sometimes the ball lightning appeared to be a side effect of a regular lightning strike, but it can also occur independently. Although no damage or minimal damage is usually incurred, there have been reports of major damage and even three aircraft downings due to ball lightning.FIGURE 11-3-1 Cloud-to-air I. Lightning strikes a commercial aircraft in Germany....Describe what passengers and crew experience when a plane is struck by lightning. Get solution
2fa. Lightning and AircraftLightning strikes on aircraft are not uncommon (Figure 11-3-1). Fortunately, they seldom result in serious damage, injury, or fatalities. During the 57-year period prior to 2009, there were 18 reported air disasters due to lightning worldwide—less than one every 3 years. The last confirmed U.S. civilian plane crash attributed to lightning was reported in 1967, the result of a fuel tank explosion.Effects of Lightning on AircraftAircraft are protected in part by their highly conductive skins, which conduct the electrical current around the fuselage and extremities of the plane. In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandates high levels of additional protection against the potential direct and indirect consequences of lightning hits. For example, all electronic equipment must be shielded against power surges. The nose cones of commercial aircraft that house the radar (the radome) must be surrounded by lightning diverter strips that act much like lightning rods do on homes. The fuel tank and lines transporting fuel to the engines must be protected against the possibility of any sparks that could ignite the fuel, and the fuel itself is now designed to produce less explosive vapors.Sometimes an existing lightning stroke will make contact with a plane, and passengers and crew will be greeted by a bright flash and a loud noise. Pilots may observe a flickering of lights in the cockpit. At other times the plane itself will cause a lightning event as it passes through a heavily ionized part of a cloud.Lightning-Strike IncidentsThough it is rare for more than one plane to get hit by lightning at any given time or place, such events do occasionally happen. On February 24, 1987, at least 6 planes were struck near Los Angeles (a location that sees relatively few lightning events). On October 19, 2011, at least 10 planes were hit near Helsinki, Finland.And it isn’t just planes that get struck. During the afternoon of September 12, 2013, the control tower at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) was struck by lightning—one of five strikes to hit the airport grounds that day. One FAA employee was injured by the strike as he attempted to turn on a generator to power backup runway lights. The airport was forced to suspend landings and takeoffs over a 3-hour period, ultimately cancelling a total of 118 flights, impacting air traffic across the country.Ball Lightning and AircraftScientists have begun to examine the incidence of ball lightning in and near planes. A recent analysis of 87 such events from 1938 to 2007 indicated that about half of these occurred inside the aircraft and the other half outside the airframe. Sometimes the ball lightning appeared to be a side effect of a regular lightning strike, but it can also occur independently. Although no damage or minimal damage is usually incurred, there have been reports of major damage and even three aircraft downings due to ball lightning.FIGURE 11-3-1 Cloud-to-air I. Lightning strikes a commercial aircraft in Germany....Describe what passengers and crew experience when a plane is struck by lightning. Get solution
