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:

The majority of lightning strikes to aircraft are initiated by the aircraft itself, often occurring in clouds and precipitation even when no thunderstorms are reported.
These aircraft-initiated strikes are most prevalent when flying near the melting level (around 0°C, typically 10,000-16,000 feet), especially within low-topped convection.
While catastrophic accidents are rare, lightning strikes can cause direct physical damage or indirect system failures, making it crucial for pilots to remain in cloud-free air and avoid 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.