What happens if a plane is struck by lightning?
Lightning strikes on airliners are relatively common, and planes are built for them. Here's why you'll probably never notice.
In this article · 5 sections
How often does it happen?
More often than you might think. Boeing's AERO magazine describes lightning strikes to airplanes as relatively common but rarely significant for safe operation. Most strikes happen in cloud during climb and descent, at roughly 5,000–15,000 feet, and the chance drops sharply above 20,000 feet. Airplanes flying short routes in stormy regions get struck more often than long-haul jets.1
Why it's not dangerous
An airliner's outer skin conducts electricity. Lightning most often attaches at an extremity — like the nose, a wingtip or the rudder — travels along the airplane's structure, and exits from another extremity. Aircraft are designed and tested so that the current flows around, not through, the cabin and critical systems.1 Passengers may see a flash or hear a bang; that's usually it.
Lessons learned the hard way
Lightning protection standards grew out of experience. After Pan Am flight 214 was lost near Elkton, Maryland in 1963 — when lightning ignited fuel vapor in a wing tank — the FAA developed new fuel-system lightning protection requirements and design changes such as flame arrestors and stronger protection of fuel vents.2 Today, fuel systems, wiring and composite structures all have to show they can handle lightning.
What happens after a strike
Pilots report it, and the airplane is inspected after landing according to the manufacturer's procedures, looking for small burn marks at the entry and exit points. Minor repairs are routine.1
Bottom line: a lightning strike is a known, designed-for event. It's dramatic to see, but the airplane is built to shrug it off.
Keep reading
- How do pilots handle thunderstorms?
- Is it safe to fly in the rain?
- Is this normal? A flash of lightning
- For a calm, structured week before your trip, see 7 days to your flight.
Quick answers
Can lightning bring down a plane?
Airliners are designed and tested so lightning current flows along the outer structure, around the cabin and critical systems. Boeing describes strikes as relatively common but rarely significant for safe operation.
How often are planes struck by lightning?
Boeing's AERO magazine describes strikes as relatively common. Most happen in cloud during climb and descent, roughly between 5,000 and 15,000 feet.
What does a lightning strike feel like on a plane?
Passengers may see a bright flash or hear a bang. Usually that's all; the flight continues normally.
What happens after a plane is struck?
Pilots report it, and the airplane is inspected after landing following the manufacturer's procedures. Small burn marks at entry and exit points are repaired routinely.
Sources
(2)
- Boeing AERO Magazine, "Lightning Strikes: Protection, Inspection, and Repair" (via SKYbrary, PDF)
- FAA Lessons Learned — Pan Am 214, Boeing 707, Elkton, Maryland (1963)
Facts last checked against these sources: October 19, 2026.