Lightening strike

[Guest2]

Aircraft do quite often of course suffer lightning strikes,  but this did quite amount of visable damage.

easyJet Airbus A320 Damaged In Lightning Strike

Riley Pickett - 3h ago

React

easyJet Airbus A320 Damaged In Lightning Strike© Provided by SimpleFlying

•  

  easyJet

  IATA/ICAO Code: U2/EZY (UK) | EC/EJU (Europe) | DS/EZS (Switzerland)

  Airline Type: Low-Cost Carrier

  Hub(s): Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Geneva Airport, London Gatwick Airport, London Luton Airport, Milan Malpensa Airport

  Year Founded: 1995

  CEO: Johan Lundgren

On Sunday, September 25th, an easyJet Airbus A320 abandoned an approach to Naples International Airport (NAP) in Italy after suffering damage from a lightning strike. The aircraft registered OE-IJA was flying flight number EJU2-2889 from Milan's Malpensa Airport (MXP). When the go-around decision was made, the plane was on final approach for runway 24 at NAP. At approximately 500 feet AGL (Above Ground Level), the pilots began flying the missed approach procedure.

Following the rejected landing, the pilots diverted to Bari International Airport-Karol Wojtyla (BRI). The flight crew landed the plane safely on runway 25. The aircraft touched down 50 minutes after executing the go-around procedure at NAP. No injuries have been reported in association with this incident. The plane remains on the apron at BRI.

Hazardous weather

While on approach, the aircraft was operating near active thunderstorms. It is unclear how close the plane was to these thunderstorms when the incident occurred. However, once the go-around decision was made, it is clear that the flight crew opted to divert to an area with better weather.

In a statement to Simple Flying, a representative for the airline shared,

"We can confirm that flight EJU2889 from Milan to Naples diverted to Bari, following a lightning strike on approach to Naples, purely as a precaution and in line with our procedures.

The aircraft is equipped to safely withstand lightning and at no point was the safety of the flight compromised. The aircraft landed routinely and passengers continued their journey to Naples by coach. easyJet would like to apologise to passengers for any inconvenience caused. The safety of its passengers and crew is the airline's highest priority."

Thunderstorms pose one of the most significant weather-related risks to air traffic. These hazards include hail, dangerous turbulence, lightning, potential icing conditions, wind shear, reduced visibility, and microbursts. Hail has been known to reach aircraft within a 20-mile radius of a thunderstorm; for this reason, aircraft are advised to circumnavigate thunderstorms by at least 20 nautical miles.

 

Thunderstorms also bring heavy updrafts and downdrafts, which may cause severe turbulence. Windshear is any change in wind direction. The most dangerous form of wind shear is low-level wind shear, which involves changes in wind direction close to the ground. This is when aircraft are most vulnerable to such changes as they are operating at a slower airspeed whether they are on approach to land or are climbing away from the airfield. Perhaps the most dangerous hazard of thunderstorms is the possibility of a microburst. These microbursts involve a short series of ferocious downdrafts. These down drafts can reach speeds of 6,000 feet per minute.

 

Most lightning strikes pose a small risk to the safety of the flight. However, it is still a significant hazard of aviation. Photo: Getty Images

 

Lighting risks

[Moon The Loon]

Wow, Unusual damage for a lightning strike.

[Kip Powick]

Unbolt the winglet, put on a new one and ...Let's go fly'n 

 

Riley Picket wrote a pretty good  article on the woes of adverse weather but I would imagine most non-flyers glossed over it and thought "how can an aircraft fly with a hole in its "wing" ??? 

[Guest2]

59 minutes ago, Kip Powick said:

Unbolt the winglet, put on a new one and ...Let's go fly'n 

 

Riley Picket wrote a pretty good  article on the woes of adverse weather but I would imagine most non-flyers glossed over it and thought "how can an aircraft fly with a hole in its "wing" ??? 

unless of course during it's journey the energy fried other things......  

[boestar]

On 9/28/2022 at 6:46 PM, Moon The Loon said:

Wow, Unusual damage for a lightning strike.

Quite normal.  I have seen winglets blown to bits and static wicks blown off.  That is not the strike area.  that is the EXIT wound

 

[North of You]

A question for the maint guys/girls….

 

I understand that a lightning strike inspection involves looking for physical damage, but I hear that an inspection is also done on the engine to see if it’s become magnetized. 
 

What is involved in bringing a struck airplane back online after an event like this? 

[Moon The Loon]

On 10/3/2022 at 5:25 PM, boestar said:

Quite normal.  I have seen winglets blown to bits and static wicks blown off.  That is not the strike area.  that is the EXIT wound

 

I'm aware of the "exit" wound being more severe than the strike location. The most damage I'd heard of was blown off static wicks. Nothing like this. On the other hand, more and more jets have winglets made of composites which must make them more susceptible to damage. Wow.