Can an airplane survive a lightning strike?

Question

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I ask mostly because that russian crash seems to be blamed on being in a storm and struck by lightning. Maybe some models are more suseptable than others?

Answer 1

Happens all the time, rarely are the airplanes damaged, because they're not grounded.

Answer 2

yes they can !

How planes survive lightning

Lightning is an electrical discharge in the atmosphere, very similar to a spark, and usually produced by a thunderstorm. It can occur within or between clouds or between cloud and ground or cloud and air. The key to a plane's protection is its aluminium skin which conducts the electricity away.

If the lightning goes in the front of the plane, it then travels along the outer aluminium skin and exits the other end, Quite a few planes get hit, but because they're made of aluminium, it goes in one end and out the other.
There will always be a bang, rarely a jolt and - depending on where you sit - maybe a flash . Strikes usually hit on the extremities - the wing tips, the nose, fin or tailplane tips.

Many are actually triggered by the aircraft in heavily-charged clouds, in which case the lightning originates on the plane and flows away.
a commercial civil jet is usually struck about once a year, which amounts to about once every 3,000 flying hours.

To receive certification of being airworthy, aircraft have to undergo rigorous testing at Culham Electromagnetic and Lightning Group in Oxfordshire, where Mr Burrows worked. Planes must bear 200,000 amps of current - an average lightning strike is 30,000 amps.

The aluminium makes the structure of the plane inherently safe, he says, and it also protects the fuel tanks, which are usually in the wings. Although some planes such as the Eurofighter and Airbus use carbon fibre composites, it is safe if thick enough and used in conjunction with aluminium.

Answer 3

YES they have equipement on some planes that detects it,
but as someone said, since the plane is not grounded, the
high voltage does not "flow" thru the plane. If the plane was
on the ground, and got hit ( most lightning goes UP from the
ground ), the electricity would ( and has, in some instances )
burn holes thru the plane as it goes to the clouds.

Some lightning strikes can use the plane as a conduit, and
will burn a hole in the wing, etc. and this only becomes a problem
if the lightning burns out vital wiring or components...

Some planes have been crippled by lightning, but, I have been
on many flights, and the pilots do not seem too concerned.
The wind turbulence bothers them more than the lightning !

Answer 4

A lightning strike on an aircraft normally does not damage the
airplane, although it may leave a burn mark. The lightning
energy travels through the metal skin of the aircraft and
sometimes into other areas of the aircraft. In a few cases
the energy has damaged electronic equipment in the aircraft,
but only a few aircraft have received enough damage to cause
a major problem with flying the plane. The skin of the aircraft
can usually dissipate the lightning energy sufficiently to prevent
problems.

Answer 5

Yes indeed, while they are in the air (this is assuming this is what you are inquiring about in your question), airplanes aren't grounded, they very rarely suffer any effects. Though it is not common, planes have been known to be struck while on the ground - big metal object in an open airport area. Sometimes damage can happen when struck on the ground but normally its like when car gets struck, the rubber in the tires act as an insulant.

Answer 6

Of course they can. It happens all the time. Next time you fly, look out at the end of the wing, at the very tip of the wing is a rod that sticks out backwards. That is how the electrical energy of the lightning strike is "bled off" the ungrounded airplane or jet.

Answer 7

You've receive plenty of good answers, but in recent times scientist have discovered that about 5% of lighting is positively charged. Speculation is that a plane would not survive if hit by such a bolt.

Answer 8

fairly - no longer something. airplane designers understand that lights is a danger, and shield the electronics so as that they do no longer look to be affected. the electrical powered fee is going around the exterior of the airplane, via fact the fuselage is extremely conductive aluminum, and only keeps on in the direction of the floor.

Answer 9

U wouldn't have to worry because flight are cancelled when there's an electrical storm, and planes fly over the clouds anyway.

Answer 10

yes, before they launch planes they do conduct lightning strike tests on them, to ensure that they can take multiple lightning strikes.