A300 captain reports lightning strike during arrival at 12200 ft causing no apparent ill effects. Maintenance discovers fuel and hydraulic leaks on postflt; possibly caused by the strike.

Home

Browse by month

Random

Latest

About

Contact

Attributes
ACN	782745
Time
Date	200804
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	msl single value : 12200
Environment
Weather Elements	Thunderstorm Rain
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zzz.artcc
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	A300
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	descent : vacating altitude
Route In Use	arrival : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
ASRS Report	782745
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe inflight encounter : weather
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : unable
Consequence	other other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Aircraft Flight Crew Human Performance Weather
Primary Problem	Ambiguous

Narrative:

Lightning strike; loud bang; whole cabin light up. No problems in the cockpit. After landing and having maintenance inspect aircraft; found problems with a hydraulic leak and fuel leak from wings. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the flight crew was vectored between 2 thunder clouds during arrival and the lightning strike seemed to travel from 1 cloud to the other through the aircraft. Although leaks were discovered by maintenance; no definitive burn marks were found; so whether the leaks were actually caused by the strike remains unknown.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A300 CAPT RPTS LIGHTNING STRIKE DURING ARR AT 12200 FT CAUSING NO APPARENT ILL EFFECTS. MAINT DISCOVERS FUEL AND HYD LEAKS ON POSTFLT; POSSIBLY CAUSED BY THE STRIKE.

Narrative: LIGHTNING STRIKE; LOUD BANG; WHOLE CABIN LIGHT UP. NO PROBS IN THE COCKPIT. AFTER LNDG AND HAVING MAINT INSPECT ACFT; FOUND PROBS WITH A HYD LEAK AND FUEL LEAK FROM WINGS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE FLT CREW WAS VECTORED BTWN 2 THUNDER CLOUDS DURING ARR AND THE LIGHTNING STRIKE SEEMED TO TRAVEL FROM 1 CLOUD TO THE OTHER THROUGH THE ACFT. ALTHOUGH LEAKS WERE DISCOVERED BY MAINT; NO DEFINITIVE BURN MARKS WERE FOUND; SO WHETHER THE LEAKS WERE ACTUALLY CAUSED BY THE STRIKE REMAINS UNKNOWN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.