Lightning blasts parked airplane
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 123
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From: Florida
Lightning blasts parked airplane
Guy I know had his Cessna 150 tied down on the ramp in Miami area, thunderstorm came through and it got hit by lightning. Spectacular! The outer half of the right wing just completely EXPLODED, looks like a big flower of torn aluminum, aileron blown completely off, wingtip found next day, some distance away. Gas tanks did NOT explode, but the right wing is utter scrap. (No one hurt, people in the FBO said they heard a huge BOOM!!!)
Master switch unresponsive as well (nobody home). Aircraft was tied down with ropes, not chains, but the ropes were soaked from the rain hence a good conductive path to ground.
Questions - what ELSE is likely to be damaged, hurt, destroyed here? Avionics are probably toast (but no smell of buring in cabin), wheel bearings? Crank/engine mount/other steel parts magnetized?
I'm trying to get my hands on this airplane to do a post mortem (insurance will probably total it), but I'm wondering if anyone else has had experience with a lightning strike on a tied down light aircraft and what they found.
I'll try to get a link to the "holy cr*p!" pix, but not sure if that will work as they are on a private newsgroup.
Best Regards,
Echo Mike
Master switch unresponsive as well (nobody home). Aircraft was tied down with ropes, not chains, but the ropes were soaked from the rain hence a good conductive path to ground.
Questions - what ELSE is likely to be damaged, hurt, destroyed here? Avionics are probably toast (but no smell of buring in cabin), wheel bearings? Crank/engine mount/other steel parts magnetized?
I'm trying to get my hands on this airplane to do a post mortem (insurance will probably total it), but I'm wondering if anyone else has had experience with a lightning strike on a tied down light aircraft and what they found.
I'll try to get a link to the "holy cr*p!" pix, but not sure if that will work as they are on a private newsgroup.
Best Regards,
Echo Mike
