Lightning strike

[Uppercrust]

Most of you obviously are not real pilots. Ive got five years of pounding an MU-2 and a Navajo through thunderstorms in the midwest and I can tell you that if you get hit by a bolt you are definitely closer than 20 miles to the storm....bet those pilots will get a letter from their friendly fsdo soon. Until you've asked a freight dog....dont put up your silly opinions based on a lightning bolt traveling fifty miles to hit a mountain somewhere in the south pacific...doesnt happen in the US.

These guys don't have a clue!

 

[rspilot]

Im betting on it being terrorists.....developing a thunderstorm in Iraq that can strike any aircraft in the US at any moment.....be afraid....be very afraid.

 

[Uppercrust]

"right after take off" could be anywhere from 1 to 10 minutes, who knows. Tad hutcheson is not a pilot. By the way who cares and exactly what is your point?

He is your spokesman though. I'll leave it at since you do fly the 717. You haven't heard anything??

 

[fletch717]

I've been hit by lightning, I wrote it up in the log book and went home never heard a word about it from any one. I was sure I was going to get hit last week, did'nt happen but I had two big static discharges from that night. There was no getting around it, stuff happens. It was not, at any time unsafe.

 

[TOOL CRIB]

I was flying that night in ATL and was almost last in line for takeoff after they closed the ramp for in-cloud lightning. The Airtran flight was probably within 10 departures before us. There was a small cell maybe a mile wide SW of the airport when we launched. It was yellow on the radar and EVERYBODY was launching. Planes were even launching off 9L when the tower was calling winds 300@15G28. Finally someone said they couldnt accept the winds and they switched runways to 27R facing the cell.

The Airtran that got struck most likely took off west and got struck climbing through 10 or so. When we took off it was bumpy and rainy but we were able to avoid the cell easily about 5-10 miles from it as we turned away from it southeast bound after takeoff. Didn't hear about the Airtran guy until now. Jets get struck by lightning pretty frequently, but this guy most certainly didn't take off into a storm so that he got struck as he was lifting off.

 

[Uppercrust]

:laugh:

Im betting on it being terrorists.....developing a thunderstorm in Iraq that can strike any aircraft in the US at any moment.....be afraid....be very afraid.

Holy cow and I bet it is aimed at the Airtran guys. Better yet, I bet the
Delta guys are the ones who invented it.

 

[crosscut]

:laugh: I bet the Delta guys are the ones who invented it.

Could it be that Upperatmosphere or I mean Uppercrust is a disgruntled Delta pilot? Although, I'll give you credit for being able to stir the pot w/one shot, however immature.

P.S. Re: Tad's definition of "after takeoff:" When the DAL 757 had a tail pipe fire & the ensuing uncommanded passenger evacuation a couple of years ago in TPA, a Delta spokesman cited a "minor engine overheat" & paralleled the analogy to that of a car engine overheat (if memory serves me). So, what's your point again?

 

[Ty Webb]

Airline spokesman Tad Hutcheson says the Boeing 717 was hit by a lightning bolt right after taking off.

You're own spokesman was the one who made the statement. They got hit by a bolt right after takeoff. Well, you guys work there.. what is the story??? Was it higher up or just after takeoff. No way it was a static discharge.

So a reporter said that an AirTran spokesman, who is not a pilot, said. . . . That's about as factual as it gets for you, isn't it? And you're all giddy like a freakin' schoolgirl over this, aren't you? Like anybody even cares?

Undercrust, admit it- you're not even a pilot, are you?
. . . . Just a wannabe and a putz.


.

 

[crosscut]

"right after take off" could be anywhere from 1 to 10 minutes, who knows. Tad hutcheson is not a pilot. By the way who cares and exactly what is your point?

His point is exactly what happened: the 4+ pages of Airtran wisecracking to satisfy the Uppercrust’s self-worth, courtesy of the unsuspecting FI onlookers.

 

[Ty Webb]

He has no worth, it's a little kid who wants negative attention, so he gets it. One day, maybe he'll discover girls, and he'll be out of here, but until then, he's just a board 'rrhoid.

 

[BSkin]

To help you all out friends, and tools; We took off 27R after waiting about 10 mins. at the hold short. Departures were shut down for a few minutes. They got us in position and said we'd be making a tight left turn (off the rnav sid) to avoid a cell south of the field. We did so and did avoid the cell. Our radar showed green (a little) and mostly yellow, with the cell about 3 miles to our right as we headed east. But, we had lightning everywhere and as we were handed off from departure to center (not right after takeoff) we were struck. Had indications of a compressor stall, that went away after 7-10 secs. I, PF, kept talking with center as the Capt talked with maint/disp. Only reason we returned was due to the compressor stall -- mandatory borescope of the engine. And only reason it was publisized was because a passenger couldn't avoid his cell, and called CNN. It was a little drama, but nothing that needed the attention it got.

 

[Citrus531]

Okay? What about DL 191? Did he launch into dark lightning laden clouds? Inquiring minds want to know. (It was a dark and stormy night...)

DL 191 only flew directly through a heavy thunderstorm with wind shear....hit an automobile and crashed short killing 130+ people. In the CVR, you can hear the Cpt say, " Looks like we're gonna get our airplane washed"

Another Tristar accident that had nothing to do with the airplane

Also, I was working that night DCA came back....pulled it into C15...used a spare terminator at 17A next door...quick easy transition and the pax the next morning weren't screwed....ship in question went right back into service the next afternoon...what a quick, intense storm that was...right as our 10:55 pm push started

 

[bubbers44]

Flying into MIA and using recommended clearance from thunderstorms would be interesting during the summer. TCAS shows how many flights would have to divert if those guidelines were actually followed. The line of aircraft and the cells taking off and landing would make it impossible to operate. Don't know how many times MIA gave special turn clearances to avoid thunderstorms within 10 miles of the airport and everybody took them until they got a lot closer. Got hit a couple of times at altitude but nothing serious. The hardest part is when you haven't reached the gate yet trying to explain to the passengers that the lightning bolts are not a threat to us because we are not grounded when the ramp won't accept us until the storm subsides.

 

[bubbers44]

Interesting side note, my neighbor was landing at DFW one day with no clouds anywhere near him and got hit by a bolt of lightning on the left side of first class right where Shirley Maclaine was sitting. He wrote up the airplane and didn't know until the next flight when the FA's told him she was seated there. Lots of energy, that woman.

 

[crosscut]

See, Uppercrust, it happened in the "upperatmosphere" after all (however you define "upperatmosphere" since it wasn't from "Vr to 2000 AGL") but that's not what you were after you little attention whore. Till the next headline,