Do airplanes ever slide off runways when it rains? What about flying during a lighting storm?
newmommy3 asked:
I just flew this past weekend in strong rain storms and violent lighting. The worst turbulence I have ever experienced. When we landed it was a safe and comfortable landing, but I was surprised the runway wasn’t slippery because of all the rain. Anyone know why/how airports make landing in the rain safe? Also, we saw lighting all around us while in the air? What happens if an airplane is struck by lighting?
I just flew this past weekend in strong rain storms and violent lighting. The worst turbulence I have ever experienced. When we landed it was a safe and comfortable landing, but I was surprised the runway wasn’t slippery because of all the rain. Anyone know why/how airports make landing in the rain safe? Also, we saw lighting all around us while in the air? What happens if an airplane is struck by lighting?
The big issue is getting water off the runway, and generally a lot of effort is put into water dispersion when the runway is built. Grooving the runway to aid dispersion is just one of the techniques.
Aircraft are more likely to run off the end of the runway than to one side or another. They have enormous momentum, so moving them to one side or the other would have to be quite deliberate. There has been a recent fatal crash in South America, and a few years ago an incident in Thailand where a Qantas aircraft ran off the end of the runway (without fatalities).
I have flown in rain, but never in a thunderstorm. My understanding is that pilots avoid these, and normally will not fly directly in a thunderstorm. It seems that some general aviation accidents arise when pilots are avoiding thunderstorms and leave things too late. The issue then is not lightning as much as hitting solid objects, like the ground!
Someone else might have the detail on what happens when a lightning strike occurs. I am sure there would be provision made for this in the aircraft construction, but how and what I don’t know. [who] DougF
Airplanes and Lightning:
Most commercial flights avoid the turbulent center of thunderstorms by flying over or around them. Perhaps more importantly, all commercial airplanes are outfitted with protective equipment. The shells of airplanes are generally made of either aluminum (an excellent conductor of electricity) or composite that contains conductive fibers so if the plane is struck, the lightning travels along the exterior of the plane then out into the open air. Sensitive electrical equipment is shielded with surge protectors and grounding devices. The FAA tests every crucial piece of flying and landing equipment against lightning.
Landing:
The landing phase is the most accident prone phase during a flight, although if safety procedures are implemented correctly the risk of danger is minimal. Aircraft pilots generally have a checklist of operations for landing, including checking the altitude, deploying the spoilers, engaging the air brakes, etc. If all these procedures are done correctly there is a very low risk of danger even during a thunderstorm.
The reason a thunderstorm doesn’t affect landing as much as you might think is because an aircraft doesn’t brake like a car. In a car you have two disc brakes that squeeze the axle causing it to slow down. In the rain you might hydroplane if the brakes don’t catch the axle. An aircraft, however, uses air brakes, spoilers, etc which aren’t directly effected by rain. Another thing to consider is that airplane tires are far more complex and rugged then typical car tires. [who] nexu2