Missing jet 'probably struck by lightning': Air France

[deep]

'probably struck by lightning' ?

How will anyone ever know?

AIRLINE BIZ Blog | The Dallas Morning News

 

[coolian2]

if the plane flew into a thunderstorm, which according to weather maps is quite likely, a lightning strike is the least of their problems. the winds, hail and other pressures encountered when flying into a thunderstorm have ripped airliners apart in the past, so lightning is really just something else that is likely to have happened if they flew into a thunderstorm.

of course, terrible news regardless of what happened.

 

[Irvine511]

this is a historically very dangerous part of the Atlantic -- really brings home the limits of technology.

 

[zoney!]

this is a historically very dangerous part of the Atlantic -- really brings home the limits of technology.

Bingo.

Lightning hits planes fairly often. Each larger commercial aircraft gets hit about once a year. The smaller regional jets take a hit about three times a year (because flying at a lower altitude).

I have a ton of stories of "lightning strikes" from my brief career in the airlines.

This exact plane here flew in our fleet. We used to call it "sparky" because it had been hit so many times.

It truly is a sad day. We may never know all that happened out there last night.

 

[U2Fanatic4ever]

^can't see pic. got the "red x"

 

[Lila64]

here's the link to his pic Photos: BAE Systems Avro 146-RJ85A Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net

 

[kafrun]

Horrifying. Doesn't make me want to fly out over any oceans anytime soon.

 

[Irvine511]

flying is safe. it is SO safe. it is the best way to travel by far. it's worth every bit of the tiny potential for catastrophe.

but, always remember, that you are no different than any of those 220+ passengers and crew who died out over the Atlantic. and they are no different from you.

 

[Galeongirl]

Actually it doesn't matter for passengers if a plane is struck by lightning. They won't get hit due to Faraday's cage. The instruments however are a different case, they can be badly damaged.
There's one last signal from the plane where it automatically notified that it had a short circuit.

Last thing I read was they found some wreck pieces near the coast of Senegal, but since that article's Dutch I can't link it. I'm not too sure whether it's accurate or not since it only seems to be one news source.

I'm still terrified of my first flight this summer. Boy am I glad I'm only flying over land for about 50 minutes!

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Air France 447 is the new Oceanic 815.

Unfortunately, I really doubt that there was anyone on that flight as badass as Sayid or as cute as Claire.

 

[kafrun]

flying is safe. it is SO safe. it is the best way to travel by far. it's worth every bit of the tiny potential for catastrophe.

Absolutely, and I love to fly. I used to be afraid of it, but I've had to fly so much in the past few years that I've gotten used to it.

Still, the idea of being out over the ocean where weather can be that much more extreme and you're so far from any safe landing strip....?

I'm still terrified of my first flight this summer. Boy am I glad I'm only flying over land for about 50 minutes!

You can do it It will probably feel like a lot of fuss for nothing once you land.

 

[DrTeeth]

Last thing I read was they found some wreck pieces near the coast of Senegal, but since that article's Dutch I can't link it. I'm not too sure whether it's accurate or not since it only seems to be one news source.

I heard about that too this morning, but considering other pieces have been found by the Brazilian Airforce about 1000 km outside of Brazil, I assumed the Senegal headline was wrong.

 

[BoMac]

flying is safe. it is SO safe. it is the best way to travel by far. it's worth every bit of the tiny potential for catastrophe.

but, always remember, that you are no different than any of those 220+ passengers and crew who died out over the Atlantic. and they are no different from you.

When you think of how many planes are in the air at this very moment, the mind boggles. There are thousands of flights around the world each and every day, and accidents are few and far between.

 

[pgv]

I think what makes the idea of a plane crash so frightening, even though they're so rare, is the absolute finality of them. You crash, you most likely die. It just isn't that definite with, say, a car crash.
I can't even begin to imagine the horror of the family members right now. I hope answers are available to them as soon as possible.

 

[pgv]

^ Didn't realise we were supposed to be reassuring Galengirl until I posted that and scrolled up...

 

[Galeongirl]

^ Didn't realise we were supposed to be reassuring Galeongirl until I posted that and scrolled up...

Thanks!

No I know that flying is the safest way of transportation, and it won't put me off doing it(I have to, otherwise I can't go to Dublin!). It just still is a scary idea!

Thanks for the confirmation DrTeeth, I thought it would be false yes.

I do hope they find the wreck. It would give some form of closure to the victims.

 

[Irvine511]

When you think of how many planes are in the air at this very moment, the mind boggles. There are thousands of flights around the world each and every day, and accidents are few and far between.

agreed. but it's still a nightmare, it hits at something primal, like being buried alive or something equally awful.

the odds are immeasurably in our favor.

but that's also true of everyone who has ever died in a plane crash.

 

[deep]

There are all kinds of 'at risk' behaviors we choose.

We play the odds several times a day.

Older people buying Harleys are big risk takers. Their motor skills and reflexes are not what they once were. I gave it up a few years back.

Because of the stats, I can't fault air travelers. I know a lot people that have died in autos, only a couple in airplanes. Of course there should be an adjustment for actual miles traveled. I know a couple of flight attendants and pilots that have flown millions of miles and have not been injured. They do have some good stories, though.

 

[diamond]

or it could all be part of a grand conspiracy.

 

[AliEnvy]

YouTube - Blondie Vs. The Doors - Rapture Riders

 

[martha]

When you think of how many planes are in the air at this very moment, the mind boggles. There are thousands of flights around the world each and every day, and accidents are few and far between.

This what I kept repeating to myself as I flew to Mumbai last summer.

Over the Atlantic, over Iran and Iraq's endless, empty deserts.

 

[AnnRKeyintheUSA]

No wreckage found from doomed Air France plane - Yahoo! News

Now they're saying the debris found was not from the plane, and it's still LOST.

 

[mikal]

anyone else wonder if this was an alien attack?

 

[BVS]

I heard reports today that the "oil slick found was too big to be from the Air France flight" and that the debris found "was not from this plane".

But no one even questioned where it was from...

 

[VintagePunk]

anyone else wonder if this was an alien attack?

Just you and Fox Mulder.

 

[Pearl]

Anyone thinking of the show "Lost" right now?

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

^ First thing that went through my mind when I heard about the crash. Such a horrible thing to have happened to all those on board the flight. You can only hope they did not suffer and it was a quick death.

 

[AnnRKeyintheUSA]

Oh yes, I thought of Lost from the beginning, that's why I put it in capital letters. Maybe there is a chance it is on some weird island like that and at least some of the people are alive. It's very strange all that modern equipment hasn't found a thing. It's very unusual for a large jet plane to go down over the ocean, they always crash on takeoff or landing.

 

[coolian2]

they always crash on takeoff or landing.

quoting for hilarity.

 

[digitize]

Maybe it's the Illuminati conspiring with the aliens and the liberal media that brought this plane down somewhat close to the Bermuda Triangle.

Joking aside, I do really feel sorry for the passengers and especially their families - at this point, there's no closure to be had. Godspeed.