Lightning strikes DJ jet

[Hvr]

Passengers were treated for smoke inhalation after lightning repeatedly struck a Virgin Blue jet caught in savage storms over Melbourne this afternoon.
Virgin Blue flight 137 to Launceston was struck several times about 10 minutes after taking off at 3.30pm and immediately turned back to Tullamarine, police said.


<snip>



Paramedics boarded the jet, with 117 passengers and six crew on board, moments after it landed, an Ambulance Victoria spokesman said. Three people were treated for smoke inhalation but none were taken to hospital, he said.

A good story for those on board to dine out on for awhile. glad all are safe.

 

[samh004]

Wow, that's unbelievable. Would the passengers have felt the strikes or even known (other than the smoke)?

 

[straitman]

Wow, that's unbelievable. Would the passengers have felt the strikes or even known (other than the smoke)?

It depends upon how severe the lightning strike were and how much the crew communicated the situation to the passengers.

 

[munitalP]

Cool - well not for the PAX, but the odds of lightening striking an aircraft and causing damage (as it is not earthed) are millions to one. It is similar to helecopters being used for live line work on high voltage conductors - the helecopter becomes equipotential with the electrical circuit however not effected by the Volts.

As for multiple strikes, that must be billions to one possibly! That is of course assuming the aircraft is far enougth from the ground that the flare does to "attach" itself to the aircraft for a few micro seconds (or nano seconds) during which time there are "multiple" strikes...

Interesting...

Mr!

 

[anat0l]

Looks like the DJ jet wasn't the only aircraft hit by lightning - two QF craft were also hit.

Article claims no one had to go to hospital, so hopefully everything is fine and well aside from possibly a few shocked and shaken passengers.

 

[JohnK]

Glad to hear that no one was injured.

She said the aircraft were designed to withstand lightning strikes, but the affected plane would be taken out of service and given a full engineering inspection.

If aircraft are designed to withstand lightning strikes what caused the cabin to fill with smoke?

 

[docjames]

If it hit the a/c straight after takeoff (<10 mins) why did it take off and not wait for storm to pass?

 

[NM]

If it hit the a/c straight after takeoff (<10 mins) why did it take off and not wait for storm to pass?

because passengers would complain about being delayed . If aircraft never took off if there is lightning with 10 mins of the airport, the on-time performance stats would be even worth they are now.

Lightning strikes on aircraft are very common. Just have a look through the ATSB incident reports.

 

[samh004]

Lightning strikes on aircraft are very common. Just have a look through the ATSB incident reports.

So the question is, why did this aircraft fill with smoke.

 

[NM]

So the question is, why did this aircraft fill with smoke.

We may need to wait and read the NTSB report. Unless there is a Virgin Blue (or JetCare) lurker who has access to the facts, anything suggested here is likely to be speculation.

It is normal procedure follow a lightning strike for the aircraft to undergo a thorough systems check before returning to service. So there must be some risk of damage to some of the aircraft systems. There is also risk to the outer skin of the aircraft and points at the extremities or structures such as the wings and stabilisers as the lightning can burn holes at both the entry and exit points. The most likely entry and exit points are well known to the aircraft manufacturer and part of the aircraft type certification is to show that these areas can cope with lightning entry and exit conditions.