Why lightning doesn’t knock planes out of the sky.
Okay, here goes: electricity will always take the shortest path to the ground right? Well, since a airborne plane isn't grounded, lightening strikes generally don't hit planes for this reason. However, they do sometimes hit home and when they do…
The Short Answer
Okay, here goes: electricity will always take the shortest path to the ground right? Well, since a airborne plane isn't grounded, lightening strikes generally don't hit planes for this reason. However, they do sometimes hit home and when they do… nothing happens. As ACrusaderA said, the light might flicker but it's very uncommon for something serious to go wrong. [NASA](_URL_0_) actually did a bunch of tests on this back in the 80's by flying a F-106 through violent electrical storms and determined that the most likely outcome of an airborne lightening strike is that the lightening will simply pass harmlessly through the plane and head to the ground (where it was trying to go anyway). Source: NASA
Analysis
Key Concepts: Lightening, ground, airborne
This explanation focuses on lightening, ground, airborne and spans 118 words across 7 sentences. At 64% above the average Science explanation (72 words), this is one of the more thorough answers in this category, reflecting the complexity of the underlying question.
What This Answer Covers
The explanation opens with: “Okay, here goes: electricity will always take the shortest path to the ground right?” It then elaborates by presenting a contrasting perspective, ultimately building toward a complete picture across 7 connected points.
How This Compares in Science
Ranked #80 of 500 Science questions by answer depth (top 17%). This places it in the comprehensive tier — the top quarter of most thoroughly answered questions. Questions at this depth typically involve multi-faceted topics requiring nuanced explanation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a simple explanation for why why lightning doesn't knock planes out of the sky.?
Okay, here goes: electricity will always take the shortest path to the ground right? Well, since a airborne plane isn't grounded, lightening strikes generally don't hit planes for this reason. However, they do sometimes hit home and when they do……
How detailed is this explanation compared to similar Science questions?
This is one of the most thorough answer at 118 words, ranked #80 of 500 Science questions by depth. The key concepts covered are lightening, ground, airborne.
What approach does this answer take to explain why lightning doesn't knock planes out of the sky.?
The explanation uses root cause analysis and contrasting perspectives across 118 words. It is categorized under Science and addresses the question through 2 analytical lenses.