What happens when lightning strikes an airplane?

Edward J. Rupke in Scientific American:

It is estimated that on average, each airplane in the U.S. commercial fleet is struck lightly by lightning more than once each year. In fact, aircraft often trigger lightning when flying through a heavily charged region of a cloud. In these instances, the lightning flash originates at the airplane and extends away in opposite directions. Although record keeping is poor, smaller business and private airplanes are thought to be struck less frequently because of their small size and because they often can avoid weather that is conducive to lightning strikes.

The last confirmed commercial plane crash in the U.S. directly attributed to lightning occurred in 1967, when lightning caused a catastrophic fuel tank explosion.

More here.

Comments

[Jennifer Ouellette]

Last month my flight to Argentina was delayed 12 hours because the (grounded) aircraft had been struck by lightning -- the result of one of those short-lived thunderstorms that are a mainstay of summer in the Northeast. I thought it was a bizarre, rare occurrence, just a fluke. Not sure how I feel about the news that airplanes get struck at least once a year, and often GENERATE lightning. :)

[Lee Kottner]

Weirdly, I was once boarding a plane during a storm when it was struck by lightning. I had one foot inside and one on the gangway and was yanked into the plane by the stewardess as lightning coruscated along the fuselage. Technically, these things are supposed to be grounded for refueling, but I don't think I've ever seen a grounding wire on a commercial jet the way I did on the Air Force jets my dad serviced on military flightlines.