Weather Conditions and Aircraft Accidents

Weather conditions influence the incidence of aircraft accidents in a number of ways. Aircraft can become directly impacted by weather when they are struck by lightning in storms, blown off course, incur malfunctions due to the icing up of engine parts and wings, or are bounced about in the air by turbulence. Wind shear and convective hazards can draw a plane off course where it can collide with another aircraft. Hailstorms can damage an aircraft's shell, thus altering its aerodynamic properties, and a direct hit by lightning during an electrical storm can temporarily blind the pilot. Excessive water ingestion can cause "engine flame-out" ("Aviation hazards: Thunderstorms and deep convection," 2006, p. 25). Weather conditions can precipitate aircraft accidents indirectly as well. An airplane that encounters adverse weather often has to travel out of its way to miss flying through a storm, and this can dangerously reduce its fuel level. In addition, adverse weather conditions such as haze can cause problems with visibility or disorientation leading to an accident. Weather conditions can also affect the performance of an aircraft, as when its parts ice up and cease to function. At the very least, adverse weather can be a distraction, and in the air as on land, distraction is often the precursor to an accident.

According to the Nall Report, "Weather-related accidents continue to

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lates rapidly, as much as one cm per four miles" (Brandon, 2007). The effects of icing on the aircraft can be severe. If ice accumulates on the wing's leading edge, it can disrupt airflow, cause a loss of airspeed, increase fuel consumption, and increase stalling speed as much as 50% (Brandon, 2007). Ice on the windshield can reduce or completely block visibility, and icing of propeller blades can create a "dangerous imbalance" (Brandon, 2007). Ice can cause malfunction of communication antennae, flaps, and brakes, and it can jam control surfaces and cables (Brandon, 2007). Carburetor icing can degrade takeoff performance (Brandon, 2007). Lightning is always a threat in thunderstorms, although, surprisingly, airplanes are often struck by lightning; it is estimated that "the odds are that each airliner in the USA will be hit by lightning once each year" (Williams, 2004). Fortunately, it has been more than 40 years since lightning has caused an airliner to crash, primarily because airplanes are constructed of aluminum, which conducts electricity very well (Williams, 2004). When lightning hits an airplane, the electricity "flows along the airplane's skin and into the air" (Williams, 2004). The one danger is that the

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