Managing Lightning

Lightning always gets your attention. It should. On average, 51 people die in the U.S. each year from lightning strikes, making it the second-most common cause of storm-related deaths in the country, behind only floods. Hundreds more people are struck by lightning each year in the U.S., resulting in significant injury. Lightning strikes, however, mostly affect people on the ground and generally cause little to no injury to pilots in the air despite NOAA estimates that there are about 25 million lightning strikes in the U.S. each year.

Key Takeaways:

• Aircraft are specifically designed with features like Faraday cages and conductive skins to safely channel lightning strikes, making catastrophic damage and occupant injury rare despite frequent occurrences.
• While generally resilient, lightning strikes can cause minor structural damage, disrupt avionics systems, temporarily impair pilot senses, or in rare cases, lead to a jet engine flameout.
• For pilots, lightning is a critical indicator of severe weather and should prompt immediate action to avoid the associated thunderstorm system, such as rerouting around it or seeking a safe landing.

Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->

See a mistake? Contact us.