While the possibility of an aircraft being struck by lightning is rare and does not present a threat to flight crews or pilots, aircraft manufacturers are looking to improve their current level of ...

Scientists have recorded measurements of X-rays of energies up to 10 MeV caused by electrons accelerated in the intense electric fields inside a thundercloud. The researchers, based at the Eindhoven ...

Scientists in the UK are researching the potential for damage posed by lightning for carbon fibre composites (CFCs), which are increasingly being used in aircraft manufacture, with a view to reducing ...

DAVID LEVIN: You're listening to a NOVA podcast. I'm David Levin. In June 2009, Air France Flight 447 plunged into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil, taking all 228 lives aboard. The plane's ...

Lightning hitting airplanes is commonplace and, though lightning has downed several commercial aircraft, it rarely leads to catastrophe thanks to modern protection systems. Each commercial airplane is ...

The moment a cloud-to-ground lightning bolt struck an aircraft at low altitude. Notice that the lightning bolt entered the aircraft near the forward part of the fuselage and exited near the tail.