Lightning Strikes on Airplanes

Electricity in the clouds has been a fascination and a peril to those so bold. Just in the United States, lightning strikes about 25 million times a year and kills people every year. In the Asia Pacific the number of lightning strikes is probably higher. Based on reliable sources of information, lightning strikes on commercial planes are daily occurrences but, however, nobody gets injured. That frightening figure, somewhat, has some people asking : Is it safe to fly in lightning? The answer is a resounding, “YES, SAFE FLIGHT”. Standard commercial airplanes are designed to take lightning strikes. For safety reasons, airplanes will avoid the thunderstorm cells but the lightning bolt can travel many miles out of the thunderstorm cloud. Planes are intricately designed machines and manufacturers pay particular attention to electrical wiring to avoid any damages in case of lightning strike. Electrical parts inside the aircraft are carefully grounded to prevent the formation of elect...