Airline Struck By Lightning In Osaka

[Jai Dee]

I know it's not Thailand-related, but some things just have to be shared...

Spectacular shot of an All Nippon Airline being struck by lightning in Osaka.

Amazing (and lucky too...) that the aircraft itself and the people and equipment inside can survive such a hit.

This is in normal time:

This is in slow motion:

This is a still photo just on initiation of the bolt...

Notice the ground and air bolt feeder strike at the same time.

[cdnvic]

That's an amazing shot. Where'd you find it?

cv

[Jai Dee]

That's an amazing shot. Where'd you find it?

cv

It was emailed to me by one of my Thai engineers cdnvic.

The email trail behind it led to a Halliburton address in the USA.

Classic isn't it?

[Gonzo the Face]

That's an amazing shot. Where'd you find it?

cv

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It was emailed to me by one of my Thai engineers cdnvic.

The email trail behind it led to a Halliburton address in the USA.

Classic isn't it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Was there any follow up or story with the email. Like any comments or interviews with the passengers and crew. Would be interested in hearing what the passengers felt at that time

[Insight]

I've been on a jet once when it got struck by lightening, 10 minutes before landing in SGP.

I didn't notice it but a few others did. It was later clarified by the pilot announcing it on the PA.

AFAIK, the Faraday Cage Effect prevents the lightening from doing any damage to the plane. It simply passes round the chassis then down to Earth. Could any aero-wizards on this forum clarify?

[cdnvic]

Seen this one? Its a vid of a Korean 747 making a landing at Kai Tak (Old Hong Kong) in a high cross-wind. Looks like a near crash but in reality it shows a very skillful pilot handling a huge aircraft in really difficult conditions.

Video here

cv

[cdnvic]

I've been on a jet once when it got struck by lightening, 10 minutes before landing in SGP.

I didn't notice it but a few others did. It was later clarified by the pilot announcing it on the PA.

AFAIK, the Faraday Cage Effect prevents the lightening from doing any damage to the plane. It simply passes round the chassis then down to Earth. Could any aero-wizards on this forum clarify?

That hasn't always been the case. A couple years ago a Popular Science article stated that lightning had NEVER caused an airliner to crash. Here's a selection of just over half of the lightning related crashes listed in airdisaster.com's database.

Keep in mind that most of the problems leading to these accidents have been fixed, and an airliner is a pretty safe place to be in a lightning strike. Old propliners carrying much more explosive gasoline than jet fuel made them more vulnerable.

cv

Date of Accident: 26 June 1959 Help

Airline: Trans World Airlines Help

Aircraft: Lockheed L-1549A Help

Location: Milan, Italy Help

Accident Description: The aircraft exploded in-flight after being struck by lightning.

Date of Accident: 19 July 1961 Help

Airline: Aerolineas Argentinas Help

Aircraft: Douglas DC-6 Help

Location: Azul, Brazil Help

Registration: LV-ADW Help

Accident Description: The aircraft crashed after suffering an in-flight lightning strike.

Date of Accident: 12 August 1963 Help

Airline: Air Inter Help

Aircraft: Vickers Viscount 708 Help

Location: Lyon, France Help

Accident Description: The aircraft was struck by lightning during landing. No lightning damage was found on the aircraft, which led investigators to believe that the lightning blinded the flight crew, causing a loss of control.

Date of Accident: 24 December 1971 Help

Airline: Lineas Aereas Nacionales Help

Aircraft: Lockheed L-188A Help

Location: Puerto Inca, Peru Help

Accident Description: The aircraft suffered a lightning strike, which led to a fire and the separation of the right wing. Intentional flight into hazardous weather conditions.

Date of Accident: 08 December 1963 Help

Airline: Pan American World Airways Help

Aircraft: Boeing 707-121 Help

Location: Elkton, Maryland, USA

Accident Description: While in a holding pattern, the aircraft was struck by lightning, which induced fuel vapor ignition. This accident prompted the FAA to mandate static wicks be placed aboard all aircraft.

Date of Accident: 09 May 1976 Help

Airline: Iranian Air Force Help

Aircraft: Boeing 747-131F Help

Location: Madrid, Spain Help

Registration: 5-8104 Help

Accident Description: The aircraft was struck by lightning while on approach, which ignited the left wing fuel tank, leading to failure of the wing and a loss of control.

[penzman]

Veeeery skillful indeed! Wow!

[cdnvic]

Not so famous last words for the truely adventurous.

http://www.airdisaster.com/cvr/cvrwav.shtml

cv

[Erwin1011]

I've known pilots to do this approach with smaller and more nimble aircraft, but with a 747 ? wow !

[traveller_p]

I've known pilots to do this approach with smaller and more nimble aircraft, but with a 747 ? wow ! 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

wow indeed

that is one skillful landing i must say...specially in a jumbo

[Tywais]

I've known pilots to do this approach with smaller and more nimble aircraft, but with a 747 ? wow ! 

Indeed! I've done that with a small private plane (not intentionally) but to take more then 300 tons of metal and handle like a moped, awsome.

[Morbius]

That's an amazing shot. Where'd you find it?

cv

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It was emailed to me by one of my Thai engineers cdnvic.

The email trail behind it led to a Halliburton address in the USA.

Classic isn't it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Was there any follow up or story with the email. Like any comments or interviews with the passengers and crew. Would be interested in hearing what the passengers felt at that time

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, I was not on that specific flight, but I have experienced being on a commercial airplane struck by lightning some time ago, so I can tell what happened.

It occurred to me a couple of years ago aboard a Singapore-bound flight. We had been in a thunderstorm for a couple of minutes and some of us inside the plane were watching the lightnings outside through the windows. It was a night flight. At the moment the lightning struck the plane, we saw all the windows suddenly become simultaneously illuminated like if there was intense shining white light coming from outside. This lasted only a fraction of a second. There was no loud sound or bang, and no abnormal movement of the plane either. Because of the bad weather, we were under turbulences anyway, but this is common around Singapore, due to the equatorial low pressures.

I was told later that planes being hit by lightnings is not an uncommon phenomenon, especially around Singapore. I am no aviation guru, but I am wondering if there could be a possible danger if this was happening during the final approach phase before the landing (or during take-off) and if the pilots were to be - even temporarily - blinded by the lightning...

So, you saw the video and you wondered how it was in the plane. I experienced it from inside, and now I finally see it from outside! Spectacular!

[britmaveric]

On my way to Frankfurt from Wash DC on A340 - about 20min into the flight. We were struck by lightening - big bang. It was definitely noticeable and it knocked out the inflight entertainment system. Luckily it was nothing I wanted to watch or I would have been really annoyed.

[Totster]

Thats a great pic...

I was once on a train that was struck by lightening

totster

[Head Snake]

quote from cdvnic on the awesome landing. "landing in high cross-wind. Looks like a near crash"

When you look at the video, the wind sock is barely up and the tire plumes on landing seem to go up then to the right (probly cause left tire landed first and there was low pressur to the right).

I don't think it was high cross winds. I think the pilot is one fo those cowboys just showing off.

[kidtongue]

Seen this one? Its a vid of a Korean 747 making a landing at Kai Tak (Old Hong Kong) in a high cross-wind. Looks like a near crash but in reality it shows a very skillful pilot handling a huge aircraft in really difficult conditions.

Video here

cv

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Great video. There was a time when most of the landings went that way at the old airport. Maybe a good training ground for PM's ??

[Nordlys]

It occurred to me a couple of years ago aboard a Singapore-bound flight. We had been in a thunderstorm for a couple of minutes and some of us inside the plane were watching the lightnings outside through the windows. It was a night flight. At the moment the lightning struck the plane, we saw all the windows suddenly become simultaneously illuminated like if there was intense shining white light coming from outside. This lasted only a fraction of a second. There was no loud sound or bang, and no abnormal movement of the plane either. Because of the bad weather, we were under turbulences anyway, but this is common around Singapore, due to the equatorial low pressures.

This description pretty much matches the experience I had on my flight on JAL ways from Narita to Bangkok just three weeks ago. 747-400 I was in was hit by the lightning just minutes after take off from Narita, after almost an hour delay due to the heavy rain. It was perhaps 5 minutes after take off, plane still ascending and flaps probably still stretched out, and I saw flashing illumination of light on the screen showing the forward view image from the on-board video camera outside. Like Morbius said, no loud bang or vibration, everything was calm and normal that I probably not have noticed it if I weren't looking at the front screen. There was an announcement by the captain shortly afterwards explaining "lightning conductor rod" safely discharged the lightning and there is nothing to worry about.

So, you saw the video and you wondered how it was in the plane. I experienced it from inside, and now I finally see it from outside! Spectacular!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Agreed. Spectacular from outside but from inside you could just sleep through the experience.

[Tywais]

quote from cdvnic on the awesome landing.  "landing in high cross-wind. Looks like a near crash"

I don't think it was high cross winds.  I think the pilot is one fo those cowboys just showing off.

No 747 pilot is going to "show off" or he will be out of a job and license very fast. That airport is the most difficult (large field) one in the world too land at. It looks like the pilot mis-judged his approach and needed to side-slip the plane in to bleed speed and altitude quickly.

[Nordlys]

I don't think it was high cross winds.  I think the pilot is one fo those cowboys just showing off.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I tend to agree. I heard Korean Air pilots are mostly former air force pilots (this much pretty sure but latter maybe just biased assumption) and former military pilots tend to take chances for some stunt maneuvering. I don't think every landing approach should take this kind of maneuvering as shown on this video (even at the old Kai-Tak airport) as they can always pull it up and turn the plane in the "go-around" mode and reattempt the landing. I don't think passengers should be subjected to the condition where their safety is at the mercy of pilot maneuvering skills unless absolutely necessary.

[cdnvic]

I don't think it was high cross winds.  I think the pilot is one fo those cowboys just showing off.

I've seen this video accompanying an article about the difficulty landing in the fluctuating winds at that airport. I wouldn't judge the wind by the smoke as it's being blasted by the jetwash. Those things weigh in at around 400,000lbs empty. If the wind had been moving from left to right rather than right to left that thing wouldn't have floated down, it would have dropped like a rock.

cv

[Kringle]

cdnvic, I wouldn't worry about any comments from anyone that says this was just a "cowboy" showing off as like others said he would lose his job for stunts like that and what the frick do they know, are they pilots or just wannabes.

[lomatopo]

www.airliners.net has an endless supply of airplane photographs, including a ton of hairy landings at Kai Tak,

http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=122621

http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=047556

http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=076911

photos of planes after lightning strikes, lightning strikes in air and my personal favorite

[cdnvic]

That forum is a godsend for plane geeks and photographers. Me being both.

cv

[kayo]

boooooh!!!!

Oh wrong thread... I could stil lback out of this.... But I won´t

[CitationX]

If lightning hits an aircraft, it passes around the airframe and exits out a tip somewhere on the aircraft (path of least resistance, ie - the airframe).

As for the 747 landing, I didn't see the windsock, but it's most likely due to a high crosswind. Also noteworthy, at the old Hong Kong airport (if I remember correctly), aircraft would have to make a pretty sharp right hand turn to get established on final (due to terrian and what not), add to this a crosswind, and things can get hairy quick.

[marquess]

Seen this one? Its a vid of a Korean 747 making a landing at Kai Tak (Old Hong Kong) in a high cross-wind. Looks like a near crash but in reality it shows a very skillful pilot handling a huge aircraft in really difficult conditions.

Video here

cv

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Great video!

[Stacking Zeds]

I know it's not Thailand-related, but some things just have to be shared...

Spectacular shot of an All Nippon Airline being struck by lightning in Osaka. 

Amazing (and lucky too...) that the aircraft itself and the people and equipment inside can survive such a hit.

This is in normal time:

When did this happen? I live in Osaka and have never heard of it.

Cool pictures though.