According to data compiled by Quartz, every operating aircraft in the world is struck by lightning at least once a year. But before you decide to never fly again, let's look at what happens when lightning strikes a plane.
Yes, and the video of this case is under the cut ...
Basically, nothing bad happens.
During the design of modern aircraft, it is always taken into account that all equipment, electrical and fuel systems must be protected from a lightning discharge, in which the current reaches 30,000 amperes. When the discharge hits the body, the electricity passes through the outer aluminum skin of the fuselage without causing any real damage.
Often such protection works so well that passengers do not realize that lightning has hit the plane, and the only possible damage is a small burn on the skin at the site of impact.
Aircraft are equipped with electrostatic dischargers, which are usually located at the ends of the wings. If a plane is struck by lightning, they divert electricity into the air.
The aircraft's on-board electrical systems are shielded to protect them from electromagnetic radiation caused by lightning.
Last year, on June 10, a British Airways plane flying from London to Moscow was struck by lightning. A similar incident occurred on June 4 with a Boeing 737 flying on the route Simferopol - Moscow. When examining the aircraft at Vnukovo, it turned out that lightning had melted 18 rivets on both sides of the fuselage, the angle of attack sensor and static dischargers on the stabilizer were damaged.
“Electric discharge is not the most dangerous factor for the safety of passengers and crew. Modern aircraft have sufficient lightning protection,” Valery Makarov, senior researcher at the State Center for Flight Safety in Air Transport, told Gazeta.Ru.
Typically, lightning strikes protruding parts of aircraft, such as wingtips and noses.
In these places, small melting structures can be found. When lightning strikes, an electric current runs through the metal skin of the aircraft until it exits from another point, such as the tail. According to pilot Patrick Smith, author of The Commander Speaks, lightning strikes planes more often than we might think. It's just that, as a rule, it goes unnoticed by passengers and crew members. “Lightning strikes an aircraft on average once every two years. Rarely, external damage can be found on an aircraft - a superficial lightning entry and exit point - or minor damage to electrical systems. Although usually lightning does not leave traces, ”the pilot is sure.
Modern passenger liners are equipped with special means of protection against lightning strikes. According to Professor Mamu Haddad from Cardiff University, who studies the effects of lightning on aircraft design, many modern aircraft, in addition to composite materials, have copper shielding meshes in their construction - for example, they are equipped with Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 families.
These copper layers act as a so-called Faraday cage, which protects everything inside it from electric currents.
Haddad believes that even more important is that the fuel tanks of the aircraft, located in the wings, are protected from any sparks. This is achieved due to the fact that all skin, structural connections, hatches, openings and fillers must withstand a lightning strike, the temperature of which can reach 30 thousand degrees Celsius.
According to statistics, lightning most often strikes aircraft flying in nimbocumulus clouds at altitudes of 2–5.5 km. Often overflying planes can themselves cause a discharge in highly electrified clouds. It is believed that private light aircraft are less likely to be struck by lightning because they are smaller and can avoid thunderstorms.
“Lightning current can be as high as 200,000 amps - people can hear a noise, see a light or flash through a window, but they don't feel anything,” explains Haddad. “One of the effects could be a small localized meltdown where the lightning strikes, but the aircraft industry is pretty conservative, the testing is rigorous, so passengers are not at risk.”
Throughout the history of aviation, serious incidents associated with lightning strikes can indeed be counted on the fingers. In January of this year, an Intan Angkasa Air light aircraft crashed in eastern Indonesia after being caught in a thunderstorm and struck by lightning. Then four people on board died. In 2010, one person died after a Boeing 737-700 flying from Bogota was struck by lightning during landing, and the liner broke into three parts. However, according to the investigation, the lightning itself was not the only cause of the crash. He was led by a sudden gust of wind and an air pocket caused by a discharge during descent, which occurred almost simultaneously.
The most serious disaster for this reason happened in 1963, when a Boeing 707 of the now-defunct Pan American airline exploded due to a lightning strike in the air.
Then, following the results of the investigation, the American Civil Aviation Administration ordered that all civilian ships be equipped with special dischargers that remove static electricity. After this disaster, for the first time, engineers figured out how to reduce the likelihood of an explosion of fuel in tanks.
It was decided to fill the tanks released as the fuel was used up with an inert gas, which prevents the ignition of fuel vapors.
Less tragic and completely imperceptible lightning strikes occur much more often, and even the planes of the presidents are not immune from them. So it was with the liner Francois Hollande, who flew to negotiate with Angela Merkel in 2012. Due to a lightning strike, the president had to transfer to another plane and be late for an hour and a half to the chancellor.
“The threat of injury to persons on board, serious failures of equipment and systems of the aircraft as a result of the destruction of the aircraft is minimal. A lightning strike on an aircraft rarely leads to a change in the flight plan, and the damage is usually minor,” Valery Makarov is sure.
sources
http://www.gazeta.ru/science/2014/06/15_a_6067281.shtml
http://cyclowiki.org/wiki/%D0%A3%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%80_%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B8_ %D0%B2_%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%91%D1%82
And here's something else interesting for you about lightning: for example, and here's why and. And of course my favorite The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy is made -Compound: parking, mooring.
Description: The aircraft parking is equipped on special areas with a hard surface.
The aircraft in the parking lot must be protected from pollution, from the effects of atmospheric agents, as well as from possible damage during maintenance. The procedure for placing aircraft in the parking lot should ensure convenient maintenance, the safety of the work of the technical staff and the safety of aviation equipment. To do this, the parking lot must be equipped with special equipment (power columns, electric lighting, fire fighting equipment, communication equipment, etc.),
it provides space for the placement of ground handling equipment for aircraft.
Location:
Work:
Securing the aircraft in the parking lot
To prevent the aircraft from moving in the parking lot from the wind or due to the slope of the parking area, make the move:
(1) Apply the wheel parking brake.
(2) Under each wheel of the left and right main legs of the chassis, front and rear, install thrust blocks, connect them with tie-down tenders (see Fig. 301). In winter, make sure that the installation sites of the thrust blocks are cleared of snow and ice.
3. Aircraft grounding
After parking, the aircraft is grounded using a special airfield device (from the set of ground equipment (see Fig. 302)). The device is a wire 15 m long, at the ends of which a plug is fixed for plugging into an outlet on an airplane and a pin for connecting to the ground. Grounding sockets are located on both sides of the aircraft in the area of frame L 68. When grounding, reliable contact of the aircraft with the ground must be ensured.
To protect the aircraft from icing and other atmospheric phenomena, the surfaces of the nose of the fuselage, wing, engine nacelles and landing gear wheels are covered with canvas covers (see Fig. 304).
Covering and uncovering the aircraft must be carried out by a group of specialists on the use of unified ladders.
The list and description of aircraft protective equipment is given in RE-86, "Ground equipment", section. 12.20.00.
4.1. Installation of plugs and cover of the aircraft
(1) Prepare and install the necessary ladders. When moving ladders
be careful not to damage the skin of the aircraft.
(2) Cover with protective plugs and covers:
(a) Air intakes and engine outlets.
(b) APU ejector.
(c) Air conditioning turbo-cooler inlets.
(d) Total and static air pressure receivers for barometric
(e) Deceleration air temperature receivers.
(e) Fuel system drain tank connection.
(g) AM-OOI antennas.
Close the angle of attack sensors DUA-9R with protective covers.
(3) Inspect the surface of the aircraft, make sure it is not dirty
and it has no moisture. Wipe surfaces to be covered, if necessary.
clean rag.
(4) Cover the aircraft considering the following:
(a) When covering the wing, rolled covers must be spread along
wings and attach the halyard to the safety knots with carabiners. First
put the cover on the cantilever part, then on the middle and center sections of the wing.
(b) Before fastening the shock absorbers, it is necessary to tighten the boot so that it
firmly attached to the surface of the aircraft.
(c) In windy conditions, covers and harnesses must be taut and not
should hit the skin of the aircraft. Tighten loose covers.
4.2. Uncovering the aircraft
(1) When uncovering the aircraft, roll up the covers so that they can be
was quickly spread out during subsequent sheathing.
(2) Turn the wing covers from the edges to the middle and roll in a roll in the direction
from the fuselage to the wing console.
(3) Place covers removed from the aircraft on wooden racks, decks, under-
rates; store covers indoors, protecting them from dirt and
falling oils and kerosene.
(4) Dry wet covers.
4.3. Storing the aircraft with the engines removed
To ensure operation on the aircraft with the engines removed under current, it is necessary:
Plug the undocked connectors (SHR-s) of aircraft engines with plugs
across all systems;
Insulate the disconnected wires and tie them to the structure
aircraft;
In switchgears (RU, CIA), turn off automatic protection devices
systems that are not used for long-term storage checks
In continuation of the aviation theme, I will show you how the boards are serviced on the platform of the Norilsk airport.
01. Landing 08:45, the countdown of the aircraft's presence on Norilsk land has begun. 
02. The reverse is on, the spoilers are released, the ship slows down. Some passengers even applaud, but there are only a few of them on these flights. 
03. The plane is taken to the air bridge. 
04. That's it, the carrier is unhooked. Ground services in a low start position, passengers have already lined up in the cabin aisle in a high start position. 
05. Teletrap filed, there is still no one near the plane. But the maintenance machine is already running. Now it will start... 
06. EAS employee rolls a ladder... 
07. ...to open the hatch giving access to the filler necks. 
08. Well, since I was close enough to the plane, I had the opportunity to shoot the plane in close-ups and in detail. The crew commander left an unfinished encyclopedia. 
09. The front trunk is already open, a car has already arrived at the rear hatch. 
10.
11. A whale named Taimyr 
12. Before refueling, the aircraft must be grounded. Near the bow stand, the IAS employee is just busy with this. 
13. Everything is done, the board is securely grounded. 
14. The foreman of the loaders checks something according to the papers, a very colorful and good-natured uncle. 
15. And unloading the rear trunk is in full swing. 
16. An ancient Kraz-cistern crawled out from around the corner. Rarity on wheels. To be honest, I didn’t even think that he was still in operation with us. 
17. A team of cheerful cleaners quickly ran up the ladder and disappeared into the belly of the plane. 
18. And mail has already been brought to the front trunk. 
19. Old Kraz has already begun pumping fuel into the wing caissons. 
20. And so the general plan. The board is plastered with cars from all sides. 
21. Here comes the sewer. Tanks with Mr. must be emptied in a timely manner, otherwise the flight will cease to be comfortable. 
22. The old control tower, which has been working for more than a dozen years, got into the frame. 
23. Let's continue to consider the plane. Tail fart. 
24. Onboard food is being loaded from the port side. That's right, how can the Domodedovo sewer be left without a job? 
25. Just a crosshair of logos. 
27. Finished!!! I said!!! And don't look at our kitchen here !!! 
28. And now we are again considering the aircraft in detail. Aircraft landing gear, automobile landing gear. 
29. Meet the winglet in person. 
30. The first stage of the fan. Eater of fresh frosty air. 
31. Nose landing gear. A thin cord grounds the machine. 
32.
33. The root part of the wing, a very beautiful and aesthetic abutment of perpendicularity. 
34. Main landing gear. 
35. Pitch angle sensor. 
36. A container with mail is delivered by a loader, then the men will drag the empty container with their hands. 
37. The load is placed carefully and carefully. 
38. Taimyr. 
39. That's all, the board is removed, refueled, loaded. The tractor is coming soon. 
40. Here he is, darling, crawling out heavily from behind my back. 
41. Takes a carrier. 
45.
46. The stepladder, which first arrived at the plane, is removed. 
47. It remains to close the trunks. 
48. Two birds. 
49. But no, the second batch of luggage has also arrived in the front trunk.
50. Paks about windows. 
51. There are a few minutes left before being taken to the launch point. 
52. Launch! Technicians are watching the process. 
53. Takeoff to Moscow made. The time on the clock is 10:30. Have a good flight and soft landing! 
Refueling the aircraft. The total capacity of the aircraft's fuel system is 190 liters. The aircraft fuel system is refueled with SB-78 (mixed) gasoline according to TU No. 4-60 with an octane rating of at least 78 (for the M-14 engine) and B-91 gasoline with an octane rating of at least 91 (for the M-14P engine).
Before refueling an aircraft, it is necessary to: check the availability and serviceability of fire-fighting equipment at the aircraft parking lot, the fuel passport and the sealing of the tanker tank, the cleanliness of the fuel in the tank and make sure that it does not contain mechanical impurities, free water, and in winter ice crystals; check the grounding of the aircraft and tanker; make sure that the filling nozzle is clean and in good condition and that the aircraft power supply is de-energized.
Refueling is carried out from fuel tankers that have a combined silk-felt filter in the system and a fine mesh filter in the fuel nozzle. In the absence of a combination filter or a frequency mesh filter in the gun, refueling must be done through a funnel with a silk filter.
Warnings.
1. It is prohibited to refuel the aircraft in the rain (snow), in case of high dust content of the air, unless measures are taken to prevent the penetration of precipitation and dust into the fuel fillers, as well as during a thunderstorm.
2. During the refueling of the aircraft, it is prohibited to start the engines; turning on the power supply; use of explosive electric lamps; assembly and disassembly work on the aircraft.
3. It is forbidden to refuel the aircraft if there is another aircraft with a running engine at a distance of less than 25 m.
Refueling into aircraft tanks can be done simultaneously from two hoses or alternately into each tank.
For refueling, it is necessary: open the covers of the hatches of the filler necks, use a napkin to remove water or dust accumulated in them from the cups of the necks; open the filler cap of the left tank and, inserting a filling nozzle into the neck and ensuring reliable contact of the nozzle with the body of the neck cup, fill the tank with fuel.
Approximate control of the amount of filled fuel can be made visually by the level of fuel in the tank and the measuring ruler of the filler cap. Accurate measurement of filled fuel should be made after refueling according to the readings of the fuel gauge in the cab. The right tank is filled in the same way. After refueling, it is necessary to check the serviceability of the gaskets, close the filler caps and lock the clamping crosshead screws.
Not earlier than 5 minutes after the completion of refueling, drain 0.4-0.5 liters of fuel sediment from the drain cocks of both fuel tanks.
Warning.
If water, ice crystals, mechanical impurities are found in the drained fuel, the fuel sediment should be drained until the drained fuel is clean. If the fuel is contaminated throughout its volume, it must be drained, the fuel tanks washed and filled with standard fuel.
Filling with oil. The maximum filling of the tank with oil is 20 liters. Oils MS-20 and MK-22 GOST 1013-49 are used for refueling.
Before refueling an aircraft with oil, it is necessary to: check the passport for oil and make sure that the oil tanker has oil MK-22 or MS-20 that meets GOST; make sure that there is no water and mechanical impurities in the oil, for which drain the oil sediment from the oil tanker tank; check the sealing of the container and the cleanliness of the filling nozzle and its filter. It is allowed to fill oil directly into the tank only from oil tankers that have a filter in the system and a working grid in the filling nozzle.
To refuel the aircraft with oil, it is necessary to open the hatch cover in the engine hood, unscrew the cap of the oil tank neck, determine the amount of oil required for refueling using a measuring ruler, insert the gun into the filler neck and fill the tank with oil. The amount of oil poured must be controlled by the measuring ruler of the neck cap. After refueling, you should check the serviceability of the gasket on the lid, close the neck with a lid, wrap it tightly and lock it.
Air system charging. The capacity of the main cylinder of the air system is 12 liters, emergency 3 liters, the working pressure in the cylinders is 50 kgf / cm 2.
It is allowed to charge on-board cylinders with air only from airfield cylinders painted black with the inscription "AIR". Before charging, make sure that there is no water in the airfield cylinder, for which purpose tilt the cylinder by 10-15 ° with the valve down and smoothly open the cylinder valve for 1-2 seconds. If there is water in the airfield cylinder (the jet of air from the cylinder is white, and moisture settles on the hand placed under the jet), charging airborne cylinders from it is prohibited. When filling on-board cylinders with compressed air, the airfield cylinder must be in an inclined position, bottom down by 10-15 °.
Charging of onboard cylinders with compressed air is supposed to be carried out in the following order:
· bring the cylinder from the left side of the fuselage to the leading edge of the tail unit;
· connect a charging hose with a reducer and a pressure gauge to the airfield cylinder;
· open the airfield cylinder valve and blow through the charging hose;
· open the hatch near frame No. 14 and connect the charging hose to the charging fitting;
· make sure that there are no foreign objects near the propeller and that the cranes of the chassis and brake flap are in the neutral position;
· Open the network valve, and then the airfield cylinder valve and charge the onboard cylinders with air to a pressure of 50±5 kgf/cm2. Check the charging of onboard cylinders with air according to the indication of the pressure gauge on the charging hose, and finally - according to the indication of the onboard pressure gauge;
close the valve of the airfield cylinder and the network tap;
Disconnect the charging hose, having previously bled air from it, close the charging fitting with a lid and close the hatch.
When filling the air system, check the adjustment of the pressure reducing valve. The pressure reducing valve of the network must bleed air at a pressure of 50±5 kgf/cm2. If necessary, adjust the valve. It is carried out by changing the length (degree of preload) of the pressure reducing valve spring. The greater the spring preload (smaller length), the greater the pressure in the air system. After adjusting the pressure reducing valve, the valve cover must always be locked and sealed.
Warning. Before starting the engine and when the aircraft is released into flight, the network valve must be open.
Draining fuel and oil. Fuel must be drained through the drain plug of the sediment filter in the following order:
check the grounding of the aircraft;
prepare a container for draining fuel and ground it;
Open the bottom cover of the engine hood;
· open the drain plug of the sediment filter installed on the inclined frame and drain the fuel from the tanks into the container;
Close the drain plug
if necessary, you can drain the fuel from the system and through the drain valve of the supply tank.
Warnings.
1. When draining fuel, it is prohibited to: carry out work on the aircraft related to possible sparking; use airfield heaters for work; turn on power sources.
To drain the oil from the tank and the oil system, you must:
prepare a container for draining the oil and open the engine hood;
· put a hose on the fitting of the drain cock of the oil tank, lower the other end of the hose into a container for draining;
Open the oil tank drain cock and drain the oil;
· open the access hatch to the oil cooler drain plug, unlock it, unscrew it by 1-2 turns and drain the oil;
Drain the oil from the engine oil sump.
Note.
If, after a flight or after turning off the engine, it is necessary to drain the oil from the aircraft oil system, this must be done immediately after the engine is stopped, since hot oil drains more completely.
In September, I happened to visit the very edge of our country - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The one where it's midnight.
Arriving there on a Boeing-777-200 "Transaero" I wanted to see how this hulk is served at the Yelizovo airport.
Today is my story about it.
2. Transaero flies to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky once a day. 
3. According to the summer schedule, departure from Domodedovo at 19:15, arrival in Yelizovo at noon the next day. According to the new winter schedule, departure from DME is at 21:00 and back at 14:20. 
4. Immediately upon the arrival of this giant, its service begins, the carrier is hooked up to the BelAZ tractor and towing begins. 
5. The aircraft is parked, where the main action will take place - exit and boarding of passengers, refueling and unloading and loading of luggage. 
6. In September, reconstruction was carried out on the apron of Yelizovo Airport, so the aircraft was placed not as usual near the terminal, but on an almost rebuilt new runway. 
7. Three hours before Transaero, Aeroflot's B-777 landed and is already waiting for passengers to fly to Moscow. 
8. There are no teleports at the airport yet and passengers are delivered to the terminal on Cobus apron buses. 
9. While passengers are leaving, ground services are waiting in the wings in a strictly defined place. 
10. The capacity of the 777 is between 306 and 373 people, so you need to wait a bit for everyone to leave the aircraft ... 
11. Everything that happened, including me, was watched by the security officers of the airline and the airport, and since I took care of permission to shoot in advance, there were no questions for me. 
12. After parking, shoes are attached to the landing gear to prevent uncontrolled movement of the aircraft.
See the wire below? The carcass of an aircraft in flight accumulates a static charge. It is removed by a current collector, called grounding.
13. Also, the aircraft is inspected by the crew and aircraft technician for damage and other things.
14. All passengers left - you can start servicing the aircraft. 
15. First we unload the luggage. 
16. During the work and being on the platform, all employed personnel must wear reflective vests - this is a safety rule - for the aircraft and the person. 
17. Lyonya is dressed according to the rules. 
18. At this airport, luggage containers are unloaded with the help of loaders based on a ZIL car - a rarity and an old school. 
19. Baggage unloaded, you can refuel.
The tanker is also grounded. Consider grounding. The current fuel also accumulates a charge. And the higher the pumping speed, the more electrified the fuel. 
20. The 777's fuel tanks are in the fender, so a ladder is used to connect the fuel hose to the filler neck. 
21. Check for fuel sediment, there should be nothing superfluous in the bank, only fuel and no other impurities.
The device for determining the quality of fuel is called OV-1 (optical visualizer).
By the way, there will also be a separate post about refueling aircraft soon. 
22. Refueling takes a long time - 777 takes about 150 tons of kerosene - depending on the load and distance. 
23. This is how it looks from the outside.
At the back of the fuel tanker, the chain drags along the ground. This is also to remove static charge. The car rides, sways, jumps on concrete seams, the fuel gurgles, rubs molecules against each other and accumulates a charge. This charge is also removed in such an effective way. The main thing is that the road should not be in oil. 
24. Aeroflot, meanwhile, has already begun boarding passengers - they have a departure a couple of hours earlier than ours.
