Facts About Lightning and Airplanes

Did you know...

Airplanes are safer flying straight through the middle of a storm cell instead of trying to fly above or below it?
If an airplane flies above or below a storm cell, the plane isolates itself and becomes the only trigger available in the area for lightning to hit; however, if the plane flies straight through the storm cell, there is a greater chance that lightning will hit one of the many other negative/positively charged triggers in the clouds.

In most cases, the pilot will not even fly near a storm cell, but just in case one pops up, this is generally the best practice a pilot could follow.

When lightning hits an airplane, it looks like this...

Looks dangerous doesn't it? Well, it's really not that bad. Most airplanes have a double and triple protection system in place to prevent damage from lightning. This airplane in fact continue to fly away with no problem at all after lightning has struck it.

The last airplane to ever crash from a lightning strike was in 1967 when the fuel tank exploded. Now with the technology to allow the lightning to pass from one point of the plane to the next with surge protection and suppression, the avionics and electrical components are safe, and a device known as the "static wick" is the life saver for the people on board the craft. Here's a picture of what a "static wick" looks like...

A static wick is a piece of metal connected electrically to the frame of the aircraft, with one or two spikes or needles on the end. It is housed in a fiberglass rod to insulate it from the airplane. Because the spikes concentrate the electric charge around them, and they are connected to the airframe, they allow the airplane to dissipate any static electricity it may build up out into the air. Also - if lightning DOES strike the plane, the chances are that the electricity will go through the dissipator and not through the airplane. Originally posted by physlink.com 

Lightning balls can form and float around inside of an airplane.

When lightning hits the plane, a small amount of the metal body of the airplane becomes vaporized which forms a glowing ball of electricity and heat. The lightning ball will usually enter the airplane through the air conditioning system, and yes, it can be seen by the naked eye. In fact, I won't get into UFO theory, but a lot of times ball lightning is what people see in the sky when they think it's a UFO.