How Can an Aircraft Get Struck by Lightning Without a Close Thunderstorm?

About 40 percent of all discharges involving airborne aircraft occur in areas where no thunderstorms have been reported.

Wednesday, September 04, 2024 at 09:45 AM ET

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Studies show that about 90 percent of the lightning strikes to aircraft are thought to be initiated by the presence of the aircraft itself. [Credit: iStock ]

Key Takeaways:

Aircraft are frequently the initiators of lightning strikes, with about 90% attributed to the aircraft's presence, and 40% of these occurrences happening without any reported thunderstorms nearby.
These aircraft-initiated strikes commonly occur within clouds and precipitation, most often at or near the melting level (around 0°C) and frequently in low-topped convection that typically doesn't produce natural lightning.
While catastrophic outcomes are rare, lightning strikes to aircraft are common and can cause damage ranging from minor pitting to loss of avionics; pilots are advised to remain in cloud-free air and minimize time in clouds or precipitation near the melting level.

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Question: A friend of mine was flying a Cessna 210 the other day and was struck by lightning, but there weren’t any thunderstorms nearby. How can this happen?

Answer: There are many observed cases of lightning strikes to aircraft inside or near clouds that had not previously produced natural lightning. Studies show that about 90 percent of the lightning strikes to aircraft are thought to be initiated by the presence of the aircraft itself. The scary statistic, however, is that 40 percent of all discharges involving airborne aircraft occurred in areas where no thunderstorms were reported.

Scott Dennstaedt, Ph.D

Scott resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, and flies regularly throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast U.S. He is a CFI and former NWS meteorologist. Scott is the author of "The Skew-T log (p) and Me: A Primer for Pilots" and the founder of EZWxBrief.