BA Lightening Strike at PFO

[Paphian]

BA plane struck by lightning
A BRITISH Airways flight from Gatwick was struck by lightning as it came in to land yesterday at Paphos airport. Just as flight BA2864 was touching down, the 92 passengers on board felt a jolt. After completing the landing safely, the captain announced that the front of the plane had been struck by lightning, near the cockpit.

All passengers and crew then exited the plane safely. The plane, which was due to return to Gatwick last night, will be inspected for damage today. The 150 passengers who were to travel to the UK were put up in a hotel overnight, and will complete their trip today.


Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2009

[AltFlaps]

So what?

Why did you post this?

[Magplug]

Dozens of aircraft are struck by lightning worldwide every day and continue to their destination quite safely. This is hardly news...... although perhaps it was the most exciting thing that happened in Cyprus today :rolleyes:

[Paphian]

I posted because I have several messages from the Moderator that I had not posted. I usually keep quiet, as I am not a genius like others on the site.

[Penworth]

Why shouldn't he post? This is "news" after all, maybe not as exciting as a double engine failure, but news nevertheless. If you don't want to read about a lightning strike at PFO, just don't open the thread :ugh:

[RobStob]

I completely agree, Penworth.

It does indeed qualify as 'news', and if you don't want to read it, don't!

There was no reason not to post the information.

At the very least don't respond with such criticism. Give the guy a break.

[cheesycol]

Its not new, as the term 'news' implies. Happens many times every day. :confused:

[BEA 71]

Well said, Paphian,

I wished other contributors would be as disciplined.

With thanks

BEA 71

[Breecher]

Rumours & News Reporting Points that may affect our jobs or lives as professional pilots. Also, items that may be of interest to professional pilots.

Does a lightning strike at PFO do any of these things? I think not.

[overstress]

Perhaps spotters corner?

[AltFlaps]

You must be very very bored to post such utterly pointless news !

I almost had a birdstrike yesterday - should I post that ?

[MADTASS]

This is an Aviation Forum, that was Aviation News, well it certainly was to the Flight Crew at the time, and as People have said, the Title was Descriptive enough and nobody was forced to Read it. It may be a non-event to some of the Flying Fraternity and Others but many people may find it interesting.

[Nerik]

Talking about lightning......saw a lightning bolt go straight up from a cloud and into the sky yesterday. Was over Southern Italy, CB top was FL200-240 max and this big fat thing soared up into the sky...........never saw such a thing in my life.

[cc2180]

I almost had a birdstrike yesterday - should I post that ?
You could probably get a guest spot on Jay Leno at the moment. :ok:

[DC-ATE]

I kinda missed ol' St. Elmo and His fire after leaving the props for the jets. You could get quite a display at times.

[angels]

Nerik - What you saw was quite rare.

You may want to fill a form in for these chaps.

Thunderstorms (http://www.sky-fire.tv/index.cgi/lookforsprites.html).

[Phil1980's]

@CheesyCOL - Stabbimgs in london happen 2 times a day...some are still in the news...infact every incident of that should be in the news to be honest...to make people aware that it happens alot...maybe on a ticker tape underneath the TV...

[L337]

This is an Aviation Forum, that was Aviation News,

This is a Professional Pilots site. And a lightning strike is definitely not news.

It might be news to you, but a waste of bandwidth to me.

[Capt_320]

Why shouldn't s/he post a thread about a lightning strike that grounded an aircraft? Not everyone want to hear/discuss the woes of Ryanair on a daily basis you know. Moderators quasi immedeatly remove comments discussing (most) other airlines. Why? Is this not a GLOBAL site? Other posts discuss accidents ad nauseum, most of which is supposition. Its good to have new posts anyway. If you don't like the subject, just move on to the next thread.

[TMAPAX]

Cheers for the info.

It is News.

If someone didn't want to read it, then don't open it.

The topic tittle made it clear what this thread contained.

Thanks

[Andy_S]

Speaking as somone not employed in the aviation industry......

What enthusiasts, spotters, wannabe's and those with a casual interest in aviation need to remember is that this website is provided by, and for, aviation professionals.

Lightning strikes, emergency landings, diversions etc may sound dramatic, but to a professional pilot they are just part of the job and hardly newsworthy.

There are far too many threads started about routine matters like this, and far too often the casual enthusiasts are the culprits (and the first to get prickly when the real professionals are dismissive of the 'news'). PPRuNe is not an enthusiasts chat site. We are tolerated here through the goodwill and endless patience of the moderators, and should respect that by either posting to the appropriate forums or considering whether we need to post at all.

If I invited someone into my home and objected if they started smoking, it would be impertinent of them to tell me that I can always go outside if I don't like it.... Unfortunately, that's the behaviour that some people are exhibiting here.

Thank you for your time.

[Smilin_Ed]

This is a Professional Pilots site. And a lightning strike is definitely not news.

I had a 30+ year professional career as a pilot. Back in the 1960s I was flying a plane which was hit by lightning. A ball of fire about five inches in diameter entered through the nose cone, rolled down the center aisle and exited through the tail cone. That might not excite some of you, but every time I think about it, it sends chills down my spine. Lightning is a serious aviation hazard which, while not always causing serious damage, has the potential (pun intended) to do so.

[ceedee]

Please calm down, fellas.
If you don't want to read it, don't click on the thread.
If you don't think it was worth reading, don't add a comment?

Are the forums getting more like the proverbial 'how to change a lightbulb' (http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/3149269) joke, or is it my imagination?
:rolleyes:

[FrequentSLF]

If I invited someone into my home and objected if they started smoking, it would be impertinent of them to tell me that I can always go outside if I don't like it.... Unfortunately, that's the behaviour that some people are exhibiting here.
I am a reader of this forum...but frankly such posts make me wonder why you have an open forum...keep it for you and do not allow anyone to post on it...and by the way..make sure that you do not ask to a casual reader to post (since the software will ask to the subscribers to do it).
Why you should invite smokers to your house and let them tell you that you can go outside if you do not like them smoking....would it easier to avoid to invite them?
AN

[Double Zero]

Perhaps a more constructive approach ( pun not intended but may as well include it ) would be a brief description of the fact that aircraft are tested extensively - at model stage - for lightning tracking, and dispersal measures.

As Smilin' Ed describes, it's not always a bore.

Same goes for carbon fibre aircraft - and yes I have personal experience, in a way, having been dragged a long way to photograph carbon fibre fighter wings after lightning strikes - the boffins were alarmed, and I'm still not convinced I fancy this material for airliners !!!

So if not 'news' in the case of this being a regular type stike - enough to ground ( that wasn't intended either ) the aircraft, worth at least a polite discussion; if you don't feel like it here, let it be shoved to 'Flight Testing' or similar.

[overstress]

If we reported every lightning strike on here there would be no room left. Likewise every time a piece of ground equipment hits an aircraft. Everyday occurrences aren't news. This isn't a rumour either, off to spotters' corner, mods?

[rubik101]

To the experts like Breecher and others who think that lightning strikes don't affect your job, I will tell you they most certainly do.
After being hit by lightning on the way in to Tunis many years ago, we looked for signs of damage and saw a few small pinprick holes in the paint on the forward fuselage. We couldn't find any discharge point so we flew back to base in UK later that evening.
The engineeer was asked to look for any signs of where the discharge might have been.
Imagine my surprise when I was told the Chief Pilot wanted to see me.
On the upper surface of the port elevator, a static wick discharger was missing and the attachment torn and twisted. The skin of the elevator had a three inch slit in it at the trailing edge. This constituted 'damage' and as such I knowingly flew a damaged aircraft without getting it properly inspected.
The punishment was severe and it most certainly did affect my job!
So don't go telling people that lightning strikes are non-events, They are not, and nor did the Captain of the BA aircraft in Paphos think it was not worth mentioning.
Don't read, much less post replies to this type of thread if you know so much about it. Get your news elsewhere.
Get off your pole and shut up if you have nothing useful to say.

[ankh]

Perhaps restarting a thread with the "lightning bolt going straight up" report and the link to the site collecting those rare observations would be worthwhile.
That _is_ news, and I bet a lot of pilots don't know how valuable their observations could be to the scientists.

[Nerik]

I've filled in that form and sent it.

[aviatordom]

Perhaps not of much interest to Pilots, but it may be of interest to Spotters in the "Spotters Balcony"

If you dont like, dont post!

[daisy2000]

Talking about the cancelled Paphos-Gatwick flight, does anyone know what happened to the very handsome first officer who came down from the aircraft to tell us what was going on. ;)

[papa600]

This is a Professional Pilots site. And a lightning strike is definitely not news.

It might be news to you, but a waste of bandwidth to me.

I'm sure it is a waste of band width to you.

The last time I looked though there were forums for Private Pilots, Spotters, Cabin Crew, Hypochondriacs, on PPRUNE :ok: which will presumably waste a similar amount of bandwidth for the "Professionals".

I can understand the "professionals" getting irate with plane spotters commenting in serious threads but in the Spotters forum?

PS - I'm a "Private" and at no time during my registration did it say I had to be a "Professional"

[L337]

papa600:

This thread was originally posted in Rumours and News. My post was made when the thread was there.

[SkyToddler]

We are tolerated here through the goodwill and endless patience of the moderators

bwahahahahahaha.... think u got the wrong forum mate....

[Guest 112233]

What Nerik described is rare but does happen, these upward lightening strokes are known as sprites - What Nerik described is very rare, They are usualy visable at night as upward streamers from storm systems. - Complex phomenea - the Earth is a huge capacatance at -ve - What he or she saw was a very energetic stream of electrons into the ionsphere. Facinating any more details please.
CAT III