Saw a lot of lightning damage in my years but I wonder if composites hold up. I saw radomes badly damaged and fist sized holes in stabilizer tips of dural structure. Never saw extensive damage as reported on Jetstar B787 in My last year. Does the B767 have a peculiar vulnerability to lightning damage?
Simple Flying article except
Lightning Damages Fuselage Of Dallas-Bound American Airlines Boeing 787-9
An
American Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner needs repairs after a lightning strike significantly damaged its fuselage. A photo of the plane was shared on social media, catching the attention of nearly 200,000 people.
The incident happened Monday, February 20th, when N839AA, a 787-9, was traveling from Tokyo to Dallas/Fort Worth. The aircraft is reportedly being worked on to be restored back to operational condition.
Details of the incident
According to data from FlightAware, the aircraft was operating as American Airlines flight 60 from
Tokyo Narita Airport to
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. It is unclear when the plane was struck by lightning during its nearly 11-hour journey back to the US. N839AA is currently at a maintenance hangar at DFW airport as it undergoes repairs, according to social media. The aircraft was delivered to American in October 2018.
Dreamliner lightning problem?
On average, every commercial plane is struck by lightning at least once a year. According to View from the Wing, it has been over 40 years since a crash has been attributed to a lightning strike as the strong fuselage of the plane conducts electricity and generally transmits the strike out the tail.
Despite a strong and thick fuselage, the 787 reportedly has a known issue with lightning strikes. In 2019,
Boeing reduced lightning protection in the wings of some 787s to reduce costs and speed up deliveries, but the company reportedly said that safety was not compromised. In May, a Jetstar 787 was grounded after sustaining extensive damage from a lightning strike.