The lightning typically exits another extremity of the aircraft, such as the tip of the tail. It will then continue to the opposite polarity in the cloud structure. If it cannot find an opposite polarity, it will hit a point on the ground instead.
Summer is the season for thunderstorms, and sometimes lightning can strike an aircraft that is flying. However, a lightning strike on an aircraft is not dangerous, as aircraft are designed to withstand lightning strikes. For an airline the size of Finnair, lightning typically strikes planes dozens of times a year.
This happens because an aircraft's fuselage, or body, acts as a Faraday cage (a container that blocks electromagnetic fields). Energy and electric charge from the lightning bolt run around the outside of the vessel, protecting the interior from any voltage.
All planes are designed to fly through thunderstorms and have to comply with safety regulations. A rainstorm is unlikely to cause damage to the aircraft. The only danger of flying during bad weather is the risk of freezing rain, but in this case, your plane will most likely be delayed until the storm passes.
Pilots use weather radar to avoid thunderstorms
Because of the uneven air that can cause turbulence, wind, and reduced visibility, pilots will do everything they can to avoid flying through thunderstorms.
Commercial transport passenger planes are hit by lightning an average of one or two times a year. They are designed and built to have conducting paths through the plane to take the lightning strike and conduct the currents.
Lightning protection on airplanes may include: Wire bundle shields. Ground straps. Composite structure expanded foils, wire mesh, aluminum flame spray coating, embedded metallic wire, metallic picture frames, diverter strips, metallic foil liners, coated glass fabric, and bonded aluminum foil.
The birds may hit the windshield or canopy of fighter jets which may result in the cracking of the canopies or the windshield's surface. Dangerously, such cracks can sometimes disrupt the air pressure, which ought to be maintained inside the cabin and may result in the loss of altitude or other flight-related problems.
If a passenger window blows out, there'll be a bang, a whoosh for a couple seconds as the air pressure escapes (it's just a bigger version of cracking open a bottle of soda), fog will form in the cabin, and it'll get quite chilly from the sudden pressure drop.
Has there been an aircraft in a flight that has been struck by a meteorite? Although this has been speculated as the cause of a few puzzling crashes, there are no confirmed cases of an airplane being hit by a meteorite in mid-air.
Has there been an aircraft in a flight that has been struck by a meteorite? Although this has been speculated as the cause of a few puzzling crashes, there are no confirmed cases of an airplane being hit by a meteorite in mid-air.
Most airplanes have a thick, external metal that is sufficiently thick enough to resist lightning strikes. The thick exterior metal prevents a lightning strike's electromagnetic energy from entering critical spaces, including: Interior of aircraft. Electrical wires.
The Effects
The part of the helicopter struck is almost always the main or tail rotor blades. Although the immediate effect on safety has so far appeared to be limited, the amount of damage caused has often been high with affected rotor blades found after flight to be beyond repair and rectification expensive.
When lightning strikes, most of electrical discharge occurs near the water's surface. Most fish swim below the surface and are unaffected. Although scientists don't know exactly just how deep the lightning discharge reaches in water, it's very dangerous to be swimming or boating during a thunderstorm.
Although biologists agree that it is entirely possible that marine mammals do get killed by lightning. Some clever fella with way too much time on his hands done some math.
Although every lightning strike is different, damage to the antenna, electrical system, rear windshield, and tires is common. The heat from a lightning strike is sufficient to partially melt the antenna of a vehicle and can cause what seems like a small explosion of sparks as tiny fragments of metal melt and burn.
The radiation in these invisible blasts can carry a million times as much energy as the radiation in visible lightning. Still, that energy dissipates quickly in all directions rather than remaining in a lightning bolt. Scientists call this dark lightning, and it is invisible to the human eye.
Disengage Altitude/Speed Hold On Your Autopilot
Focus most of your attention on maintaining a level attitude, and allow your airspeed and altitude to fluctuate. If your autopilot is engaged, consider disengaging altitude or speed hold modes while you're in rough air.
Upward triggered lightning usually occurs in response to a natural lightning flash, but on rare occasions can be “self-triggered”—usually in winter storms with strong winds. Lightning can also be triggered by aircraft flying through strong electric fields. If the plane is below the cloud, then a CG flash could result.
Storms and Lightning
Just like flying planes, flying helicopters in rough storms that have lightning is not advisable. It can be dangerous to fly a metal aircraft through a storm with lightning, although it is possible to land some helicopters even when struck by lightning.
Pilots use weather radar to avoid thunderstorms
Because of the uneven air that can cause turbulence, wind, and reduced visibility, pilots will do everything they can to avoid flying through thunderstorms.
d. Hail. (1) Hail competes with turbulence as the greatest thunderstorm hazard to aircraft. Supercooled drops above the freezing level begin to freeze.
A metal fuselage acts like a Faraday cage, protecting the inside of the plane while the voltage moves along the outside of the container.
It felt like a horse hit you in the back of the head, like a mule kick,” he said. “It was almost like getting the wind knocked out of you by a Mack truck.” Immediately afterward, Fasciglione said he felt energized, his entire body tight, ears ringing and then went numb.
Ball lightning looks just like it sounds, and almost no form of lightning is as mysterious. For centuries, people have reported sightings of slowly rotating balls of light — often about the size of a grapefruit — floating above the ground during electrical storms.