What happens if an airoplane gets hit by lightning on the engine whilst in mid air?

Question

I have just come back from abroad and got caught up in a storm and this question was asked by my mates, which none of us knew.

Answer 1

Lightning does hit airplanes and when it does it can damage the electronic equipment needed to fly the plane. Lightning research done during the 1980s by NASA had an F-106B jet fly into1,400 thunderstorms and lightning hit it over 700 times. The lightning did not damage the airplane but scientists found out that it could damage electronic systems on the plane. This led to requirements that all aircraft electrical and electronic systems have built-in lightning protection.

Many planes have their outer areas (called skins) made from aluminum. This is a metal that is a very good conductor of electricity. If lightning strikes the plane, most of the lightning current remains on the exterior of the aircraft and flows along the exterior and then away from the plane. Newer airliners are being made of composites which do not conduct electricity as well, but the outer skin is embedded with a layer of conductive fibers designed to carry the lightning currents.

Systems have been designed to help protect all of the computers and instruments that control everything in the airplane. Lightning protection engineers make sure that damaging surges can not reach the equipment inside the aircraft. Shielding, grounding and surge suppressions devices are used to help protect cables, circuits, and equipment. Every piece of equipment that is essential to a safe flight and landing of an aircraft must be tested and certified that it is protected against lightning. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sets the standards and put the regulations in place.

Even though the passengers and crew may see a lightning flash and hear a noise if lightning strikes their plane, nothing serious should happen because of the lightning protection built into the aircraft. Pilots sometimes report a temporary flickering of cabin lights or some brief interference with their instruments.

Several airliner crashes have been caused by lightning. One was a Boeing 797 near Elkton, Maryland, (December 8, 1963). Another was a Lockheed Constellation near, Milan, Italy, (June 26, 1959). According to the National Transportation Safety Board's database one of the last reports of lightning causing any airline to crash was in 1981 and involved a small airliner in Germany. In 2000, a Chinese airliner was hit by lightning and crashed but no details were made available and it was not known if the plane had any lightning protection built in.

Answer 2

It is not an uncommon occurrence and it can have some disastrous effects regardless of those who answered otherwise because the aircraft is not grounded. That has little to do with being struck by lightning. Most lighting is between clouds or within clouds and the clouds are not grounded either. Furthermore, when lightning does involve the ground, it travels from the ground to the cloud. So being hit by lighting is not uncommon and damage caused by lightning to an aircraft though not common can and does happen.

I have observed that of the many pilots that I know, all but a very few have never experienced an in flight lightening strike. And it has happened on multiple occasions to each of those few. These few happen to be the, shall we say "boldest" pilots of the bunch and I know for a fact that they do not give thunderstorms as wide a birth as the rest of us. Some even bragg about how close they've been under an anvil which is the one place you never want to be. So having never been struck by lightning in almost four decades of flying my guess is that as long as I keep staying far away from those big boomers I never will. And guess what folks. Some of those few are captains for major airlines so good luck.

Answer 3

The tires do not guard you from lightning in any respect. it particularly is an exceedingly user-friendly fantasy. the clarification you're risk-free in a automobile from a lightning typhoon is with the help of the fact the steel physique of the automobile acts as a look after. whilst lightning hits the automobile the electric powered energy follows the physique of the automobile and out in the process the tires into the floor. The tires could desire to be a reason that lightning hardly strikes you automobile alongside with the shown fact that it is not tall yet those at the instant are not what protects you. i could say that something laptop clever could desire to flicker or be disrupted yet they should not be completely harmed. It additionally matter on in spite of if the lightning strike is beneficial or detrimental. could the strike be detrimental it particularly is weaker then not something everlasting would be knotted up yet could or not that's beneficial then you definitely could desire to could desire to get any electric powered stuff appeared at.

Answer 4

The answer that nothing happens is incorrect. When an aircraft is struck by lightning, it HAS to exit the aircraft somewhere. Static Wicks help to dissapate some charge, but I have seen entrance pits (burn holes) in the nose and exit areas anywhere from the wing to the tail. I have seen areas (abit no larger than a tennis ball) burned in the tail area. It is NOT true that nothing happens. The electrical charge has to disappate or exit the aircraft. Its a common occurance. All aviation maintenance manuals have inspections for lightning strikes.

Answer 5

When lightning strikes an aircraft or a car the electric currents induced on it are forced to travel on the outer skin of the vehicle's body.

The aircraft is made of metal alloy or aluminium and is a Faraday cage, as is a car.

It's a shape is that that can take a bolt of lightening, the lightnening will pass through it without causing problems http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage

The BBC television program Top Gear once sat the presenter Richard Hammond in a car while it was struck by a simulated lightning bolt of 800,000 volts at the Siemens High-Voltage lab in Berlin. Aircraft air often subjected to incredible forces and extremes of temperatures, this is what they are designed to do.

Answer 6

Current generation aircraft are shielded from the mortal effects of a lightning strike. Most likely the lightning will bleed off with no serious after effects. Lightning needs to be earthed to be really deadly, which, in case of modern aircraft cannot happen.

Answer 7

I have repaired many lightning stricks on large jet aircraft, most strikes cause minimal damage if everything is bonded correctly, I did have the opportunity to inspect a small twin engine aircraft that was hit by lightning sitting on the ramp (ground) and it literally blew the vertical stabilizer apart.

Answer 8

What would happen is that you would apologise to your girlfriend, her mother and father and the rest of the passengers. Then pick the fittest looking air hostess and join the mile high club before entering the earth quicker than Swampy at a by-pass.
Of course if there's no damage to the plane this could land you in a bit of trouble as it's almost impossible to get that thick orange make up off your Albert.

Answer 9

nothing to the mechanics of the aircraft. The lightning actually flows threw the aircraft and finds the smallest point of the aircraft such as wing trailing edge and discharges itself. The aircraft is built with redundant systems in case one has been effected by the lightning. Please tell the stewardess what you saw in case the pilot did not take notice . The aircraft then needs an inspection to prevent problems in case some damage is present.

Answer 10

One thing missing in the answer is the static wicks. These are short wires affixed to the trailing edges of the wings and tail. These wicks discharge the lightning back to the atmosphere. Also, static electricity is always building up on the skin of the aircraft and will cause static in the radios and erratic electronic equipment. The static wicks discharge this also.