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Commercial aircraft are struck by lightning about once a year, but it rarely causes damage or disruptions to the flight. The outer skin of the plane conducts electricity back into the air, preventing it from reaching the interior. NASA has conducted research to improve aviation’s lightning safety.
On average, each commercial aircraft is struck by lightning about once a year, but it rarely causes damage or serious accidents. The outer skin of an airplane is composed primarily of aluminum, a material that conducts lightning electricity back into the air and prevents it from reaching the interior of the aircraft. Most passengers may not even notice if lightning has struck their plane because it doesn’t tend to cause problems or disruptions to the flight other than a flash of light.
Read more about lightning and airplanes:
The last reported aviation accident caused by lightning was in the United States in 1967, when lightning struck the fuel tank of an aircraft and caused it to spark and explode. This has led to calls for aircraft that have better lightning protection.
Commercial planes are thought to be more likely to be struck by lightning than private planes because non-commercial planes are smaller and have more control over not scheduling flights in bad weather.
During the 1980s, NASA purposely flew jets in nearly 1,500 thunderstorms to research ways to improve aviation’s lightning safety. The jets have been struck by lightning about 700 times.
