Lightning strike!
 

My neighbor just returned from a trip and reported something that I didn't think could happen. Her plane was on the runway awaiting departure in the middle of a thunderstorm when a person three rows ahead of her screamed and then began moaning. This was a woman with a pacemaker, and passengers were informed that she was struck by lightning! How is that even possible??? Apparently, they called for a physician on board to help and taxied back to a gate where she was taken off the plane by EMT's (she was OK by the time they reached the gate). Then they had everyone else disembark so they could check over the plane since it had been struck by lightening, and they wanted to make certain that all electrical systems were operational. Isn't that the strangest thing???? I thought all planes were had ground wires, plus this plane was sitting on big rubber tires! I have never heard of a situation like this. Just curious - has anyone else?

The passenger wasn't struck by lightning but just having the electrical current of the bolt passing through the skin of the plane a few inches away from her could have done a number on her pacemaker.

Planes get struck by lightning all the time (usually when they are in the air) and a strike is usually a non-event. Damage is unlikely but not unheard of and since they hadn't taken off yet and had to return to the gate anyway, I guess better safe than sorry.

I would imagine being struck while on the ground would have made the affects worse since the plane was "grounded."

Just like a car, the plane is NOT grounded as it is sitting on inflated rubber tires ;-)

On a side note, I was on a flight from MSP to DEN last weekend and our plane got struck by lighting a few minutes after takeoff. Bright flash and loud bang on the right side of the plane. I thought at fist an engine blew up.
We continued without incident to DEN.

From the title, I figured somebody found a low award ticket :)

^

You are much more likely to be struck by lightning than to find a low award ticket.

Engineer here,

Lightning is caused by a difference in electric potential. Usually between the clouds and the earth.

The lightning is caused when a large enough potential differential(Voltage) exists, the air begins to conduct electricity. This is called the dielectric breakdown.

Huge misconception the lightning just jumped about 5000' it will have no problems jumping the 2~ feet between the aluminum wheel and the ground. Cars get struck by lightning as well for the same reasons.

The reason you are OK is that the aluminum skin of the plane acts as a faraday cage to keep you safe. The current moves in the skin/frame of the plane/car around you not through you.

My guess as to the lady with the pacemaker, Large EMF caused by the discharge can do crazy things with electronics.

http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_...le_strike.html
jfadoll if the passenger was close enough to the current running through the skin of the plan (ie dozing with her head against the side) could she be shocked?

I was referring to the word "Grounded" which it clearly is not ;-)

You're right - it's not grounded. But the plane was grounded do to the lightening.

The word was used as a bit of a pun (hence the quotes).

It has happening on my flight. I flew out from PHX-DTW-FLL by last year. Our flight is delayed due to the weather. We waited for my flight is leave. I saw lightning. I have a video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOK5NRLvNVI

As you can see the lightning strike down near the terminal.

Very doubtful, If the passenger happened to be touching something metal with two different parts of his/her body like a head and a foot, or an arm and foot some current would go through them. But most of the current would still run through the plane, not the person.

Electricity like water flows through the least resistive path. Nice high quality aluminum is much easier to flow through than a person. So most if not "all" of the power would go through the plane.

Much like a bird sitting on a high voltage power line, it does have a very small amount of power flow up one leg, through its body, then back down the other leg. It's just so small in comparison to the amount of power flowing through the cable.

Yep, not tied to earth ground at all.

I am moving this thread over to TravelBuzz where it will have a larger audience.

RSSrsvp - Moderator

What happens when your car (or perhaps in the future, your plane) is not made of metal? What if it's plastic, or carbon-fiber, or some other material that is not as conductive as aluminum?

Didn't Howard Hughes build a wooden plane? What if that had gotten hit by lightning?

If the plane was actually stuck and the lady was close to it it may have just scared the holy living %#@^ out of here causing a moment of erratic heartbeat until her pacemaker did its job.



I thought I read somewhere that composite skins would have some sort of conductive path in them to safely carry the current away from the pax onboard.

Yup. The Spruce Goose. If it were to be stuck I'd imagine the result would be a crash either from a structural failure from the exploding wood (ever seen a tree get hit?) or from fire caused by the strike.

That is correct.

Plane hit by lightning
 

Wow. Although after reading about it on the plane after it happened and seeing that it occurs frequently, I have to say when it the lightning struck, it was extremely perplexing and even a little frightening. Flying MSP>LGA , right after initial descent there was a bright flash of greenish tinted bright yellow light that went throughout the cabin accompanied by a nice loud boom. Just wondering if this is the same experience anyone else that has been through a plane lightning strike has experienced.

My MD-90 flight ATL-CLT in December was struck by lightning. I didn't know a thing until they made a gate announcement in CLT that the aircraft had been damaged by lightning and was out of service. (I was returning to CLT on the same aircraft as part of a MR.)

David

Plane hit by lightning
 

id say what u saw unusual in the way that rarely does the light refract in just the right angle and the plane is just at the right location in relation to the lightnings around, and create the colors u described.
im sure u know planes get struck by lightning all the time and its nothing to worry about thanks to a simple thing called a faraday cage.

Lighting strike on approach to Heathrow a few years ago in a 777, very loud bang but no flash I could make out, a few screams from some passengers before the Captain did his bit on the PA.

Nice to see a faraday cage actually works :D

The passenger was probably not struck by lightning
 

There are normal pacemakers and then there are ICDs or Implantable Cardio Defibrillators. Pacemakers are used to pace, logically, patients who would have a very slow heart rate normally.

ICDs also pace but, are constantly on watch for irregular heart rhythms that could be fatal. You will often see the portable defibrillators in public spaces. Some of us are at enough risk that we carry our own.

When mine delivers "therapy", they are loath to call it a shock, it feels like I have grabbed an electric fence with both hands. It will take me to my knees and you will hear some kind of audible from me since about every muscle in my chest just contracted.

The passenger may have received a legitimate therapy or anxiety could have drove their heart rate above the trigger threshold.