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1. Lightning Only a few planes were hit by lightning and exploded. Nowadays, advances in radar systems and weather forecasts make it easier for airplanes to avoid thunderstorms and lightning.
Lightning usually hits the wing tip, head or tail of an aircraft and then scatters through the outer shell of the aircraft. Aircraft shells are mostly made of aluminum, which is a good conductor of electricity. Many "thunder and lightning" are generated by the aircraft itself, mostly during the process of the aircraft rising or falling in the clouds.
Lightning strike may cause the lights of the plane to flicker, but as long as there are no cracks in the outer shell of the plane, most of the energy will be released back into the air. The shell of modern aircraft is usually made of advanced synthetic materials, which has poor conductivity compared with aluminum. Birds being sucked into the engine is another air threat that the plane may encounter.
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2. Bump is a common problem, almost all passengers have experienced the bump of the plane in the air.
Turbulence is a kind of airflow movement, which is invisible to the naked eye and often comes unexpectedly. Turbulence may be caused by pressure changes, rapids, cold fronts, warm fronts and thunderstorms, even in clear skies. Turbulence is not always predictable, and radar can't find it.
Although turbulence may lead to a serious head impact, it is usually unlikely to be fatal. According to the statistics of the Federal Aviation Administration, from 1980 to June 2004, there were 198 turbulence accidents in American aircraft, which caused 266 serious injuries and 3 deaths.
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Third, in the summer thunderstorm season, thunderstorms usually pose a threat to aircraft. Generally speaking, the threat of thunderstorms mainly comes from the convective movement of the air. Strong updraft and downdraft may cause the plane to capsize, causing damage or even more serious consequences.
Every minute, a special forecaster sends weather information to planes to help them avoid dangerous weather phenomena. Air traffic controllers always pay attention to the weather changes in the jurisdiction and guide the aircraft to take off and land dutifully.
Radar can detect rotating airflow, which may be a precursor to hurricanes.
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It freezes in winter, and the ice on the wing may pose a great threat (which is also a reason for the flight delay).
The phenomenon of wing icing means that supercooled water droplets attach to the wing and condense into ice; When the wing freezes, it may cause the speed and altitude to drop at the same time, which may lead to a catastrophic crash.
Wing icing may occur in the air or on the plane waiting to take off on the ground, which is the cause of many plane crashes, including some large passenger planes, but this phenomenon occurs more on short-haul flights and small planes; Now there are all kinds of materials that can be coated on the wings before taking off to prevent icing.