can turbulance cause an airplane to crash?

Question

i always freak out on airplanes when thers alot of turbulance

the turbulence that i experience when im driving behind or beside an 18 wheeler feels like my car is gonna get takened underneath it can that cause accidents too?

Answer 1

The short answer is YES.
The long answer is yes, but it is very unlikely because the severity of the turbulence required to cause a crash is highly unlikely.
I don't want to scare you, but here are some ways it could cause a crash (and why it is unlikely)
1) wake turbulence from following another aircraft too close - recently caused a crash of an Airbus. Very unlikely because of separation rules and improved techniques to deal with the turbulence as a result of the Airbus crash

2) overstress of the airframe - it takes a HUGE amount of force to break an aircraft. If you thought that you freaked out from what was probably a bit of "bumpy bumpy", you would probably wet yourself if you experienced turbulence that could cause a crash.
Turbulence is categorized as mild, moderate, severe. Aircraft are designed for severe turbulence. Typically, people start freaking out in moderate turbulence. In severe turbulence, things get thrown around - not just your coffee cup creeping along, but books flying around and hitting people. The airplane may momentarily be out of control during these episodes.
Even then, the aircraft would be within its limits.

3) fatigue of the airframe - over time, millions of little bumps add up and the airframe fatigues. Aircraft are designed to be "damage tolerant" which means that you can get fatigue cracks in structure but because the structure is designed to tolerate the damage it can live with some cracking. At the next inspection they will either replace the part or repair the crack so it doesn't get worse

4) Weather - this is probably the most dangerous. Downdrafts from large thunderstorms or gust fronts or squall lines probably pose the greatest danger to an aircraft. The danger is really when the aircraft is close to the ground on takeoff or landing. The strength of the weather could exceed the ability of the aircraft to climb out of the downdraft. This has caused a number of crashes.
This is avoided by careful (or cancellation of) operations near thunderstorms, weather radar, doppler radar, frequent pilot reports, etc.

It is scary becuase you're not in control. Somebody up front behind a closed door has your life in his hands.
If it makes you feel any better, he also has HIS life in his hands and he will do everything he can to make sure he gets home to his family.

People still forget that flying is still safer than the car ride to get to the airport.

Answer 2

Turbulence Plane Crash

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Yes, turbulance can cause an aircraft to crash, this is very rare, but remains the biggest threat to your safety when on an airplane... Airplanes can take alot of stress, and its unlikely that the plane would crash or fall out of the sky under any turbulant conditions, that said, wind-shear on a approach is when there is a huge gust of downward moving wind, that pushes the airplane down, hard. This is still considered turbulance and it is very dangerous if it is severe. If one pilot reports wind-shear to ATC after arrival, ATC will let all other pilots on the approach to be ready for it, and when I hear this, I like to keep my approach a little high, I can because I fly a smaller plane that doesnt require even half the runway at most airports.

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
can turbulance cause an airplane to crash?
i always freak out on airplanes when thers alot of turbulance

Answer 6

Turbulence isn't really a big deal. What's more worrisome is windshear. When an aircraft is flying at low altitude (like for takeoff or landing) during bad weather, it may fly through a column of downward moving air, which will of course be surrounded by upward moving air. An inexperienced pilot may nose down slightly to counteract this, before moving into the downward portion, and lose altitude really fast. Don't worry, though, as commercial aircraft are equipped with a weather radar system capable of detecting windshear, so pilots can avoid it.

Answer 7

The turbulence would have to be severe. That's why airplanes fly around thunder storms, not through them. If an airplane got caught in a severe storm cell, it could break apart. Ordinary turbulence is just a fact of flying, I wouldn't worry about it. When I fly in turbulent air, I say that the air is "textured." I don't like it much but you get used to it.

Answer 8

The answer is yes, but its such a rarity that there is no need to worry.

I'd worked for a while with one of the most advanced airborne weather radars and I can boldly say that hazardous turbulence is spotted well in advanced and avoided. The detection ranges for (wet) turbulence exceeds 250 nmi and thats all the time in the world to avoid the hazard. Even the more dangerous of weather hazards, the windshear is easily detected and probably avoided.

You have the finest technologies working for you, gone are the times when you flew blind and unsure, so relax and enjoy the flight.

Extensive researches have found out that the strength of the turbulence is directly proportional to the temperature of your coffee. So keep your coffee cool!

BTW, Blitzpup, windshears are real. RTCA has a MOPS by name DO-220 for Airborne Weather Radar with Forward-Looking Windshear Detection Capability

Answer 9

Same here -- I grip the armrests and my palms get all sweaty. I hate it.
However, a pilot once described to me that it's like a powerboat bouncing on the waves.
Education is the best defense. As long as the plane is moving forward, it "wants" to fly. If you read up on turbulence and its causes, you'll be less anxious when you fly. You can expect turbulence when going through different cloud layers (temperatures) or over cities (heat waves rising).

Although I've heard of people being injured by being bumped around a bit during severe turbulence, I've never heard of a plane crashing solely because of turbulence.
I saw a short clip by the Boeing company on Google Videos -- please try to find it (maybe by searching under "airplane" or "turbulence") It actually helped calm my fears, because it explained it for the lay person.

Answer 10

The answer is absolutely YES. Planes are stressed, that is built to strong tolerance levels, (called g-strengths). If turbulence is sever enough, it can shred any aircraft to pieces, including the strongest military types. This is possible in thunderstorms where up and down drafts can reach tremendous velocities.

Another debated wind/crash topic is called WIND SHEAR, this is when a strong down draft forces a plane into the ground while taking off or landing... some say it is real, just as many say it isn't.

Answer 11

MOST DEFINATELY!!!! but not usually, the type of turbulence that can smash an airplane of any size is usually found in the company of thunder storms. They are known as micro bursts and can be deadly to an aircraft that is about to land. The typical bouncing around that you get is uncomfortable, but not to be disconcerning. If you are in sever turbulence, you will definately know it, but pilots are trained and paid to get you to your destination, so they aren't going to deliberately fly into sever tubulence. When you get a bumpy ride, think of it like the pavement has ended for a little while.
I'm a pilot, and I have ben on some pretty bumpy rides myself.