What Would Happen If Lightning Struck An Airplane?

Lightning striking the wingtip of a plane.

If lightning strikes a plane, several things happen, but most of them don't lead to the disaster you might expect. In fact, planes are built to handle lightning strikes, and this happens quite often. Every year, planes around the world get hit by lightning multiple times, so here’s what actually happens when a plane gets struck by lightning.

First, it usually hits the nose or wing tips of the aircraft. The forward edges of the airplane are actually designed to take the strike. They are made of metals like aluminum or composites that are good conductors of electricity. Then, the lightning follows along the outside of the airplane. The airplane body acts just like a huge conductor, taking the electricity from the point of contact to another exit point, often through the tail or another wing tip.

Where it strikes, there is a bright flash and a loud bang. The people inside might see a bright light and hear a loud sound. However, inside an airplane, passengers and crew are fairly safe. This safety comes through something known as the Faraday Cage effect. The metal body of the plane keeps the electrical charge on the outside, not letting it inside where the people are.

As for the avionics in an airplane, they’re specially protected. The wings and tail have something called a static wick. These are little, small antennas that actually dissipate static electricity off the airplane. And then, of course, the airplane also has surge protectors on its systems, like you have at home with your computer, and they block too much electricity from going into the computers and instruments in an airplane.

Sometimes, however, when it strikes, lightning can create a short circuit or even small fire. This could cause parts of the airplane to shut down so that the problem doesn’t continue to get worse. But don’t get too scared because pilots are trained for these types of situations! The pilots know about backup systems and how to deploy them when other important ones fail. They'll go through all the systems just to make sure everything's running correctly. If something isn't working, they may have to land the plane to fix it or wait until it is safe to use again.

The structure of the plane can also incur minor damage: paint might chip off where the lightning hits or small dents may form, but such damage does not make the aircraft unsafe to fly. After landing, the plane will be checked to see if any repair is necessary.

As for the passengers, they are only startled. The loud noise and the flash are frightening, but a lightning strike will not take the plane out of the sky. If there were any concern, airlines would reassure passengers in such cases. The crew will check everything in order to make sure the flight can continue without risk.

After the flight, some inspection is carried out on the plane. The inspectors check for any visible damage, inspect all electrical systems, the structure, and all the critical parts. In case of any damage, it will be fixed in order to keep the plane safe for subsequent flights.

These events are recorded by insurance companies and airlines, who use that information to make planes even safer. The engineers learn from these incidents to improve designs or add better protections.

To wrap up, lightning strikes on planes are more of an annoyance than a danger. They come with flying, especially when flying through storms. However, due to how the planes are made and the training done for the pilots, such lightning strikes are not what keep flights off the ground or cause disasters. Airplanes are made to fly through all kinds of weather, even lightning.

So, the next time you fly in a plane and it gets hit by lightning, remember: it is not the end of the world. The plane is designed for that, and the crew knows exactly what to do. You will probably land safely, just like thousands of flights do every day, with or without lightning.