An Austrian Airlines plane went viral this week after it flew through hail last Sunday, tearing off the plane's nose and shattering its cockpit window. One expert told CBS News that while incidents like this are rare, they can happen very easily and quickly.
The incident involved Austrian Airlines Flight OS434 from Palma de Mallorca to Vienna, the airline told CBS News. As seen in photos shared by passengers and bystanders, the airline also confirmed that two front cockpit windows and the nose of the aircraft, also known as the radome, were damaged, as well as “some covers.” The investigation is currently ongoing.
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A Mayday distress signal was issued due to damage, an airline spokesperson said. “The aircraft was able to land safely at Vienna-Schwechat Airport. All passengers on board were safe.”
A spokesperson confirmed: “The incident lasted only a few seconds.” According to meteorologist Renny Vandewege, DTN's general manager of weather and climate information, that's all it takes to cause damage.
“Because of the speed of the plane, the hail doesn't have to be large enough to cause damage to the aircraft,” he told CBS News.
“The radome in the nose of an airplane is particularly vulnerable due to the thin material used in that part of the airplane,” he said. “Because of the speed of the aircraft, even five seconds of exposure to hail can shatter the nose and cockpit windows.”
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But he added: airplane The onboard radar system can sometimes get you stuck in a hail shaft. In most situations, these types of weather systems are avoided, he said.
Austrian Airlines told CBS News that Sunday's situation occurred after the plane encountered a thunderstorm cell on its approach to Vienna, “according to the cockpit crew.” [it] According to NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory, single-cell thunderstorms are “small, short, weak storms that grow and die within an hour or so” and are known to produce brief heavy rain and lightning. .
Vandewege said the thunderstorm core is where updrafts are greatest, where conditions can be particularly dangerous.
“The source of energy for the storm is coming from the surface, where the storm absorbs warm, moist air,” he said. “…these updrafts allow storms to produce hail because they can circulate ice up and down with the storm until it becomes too heavy to circulate. Therefore, storms with the strongest updrafts produce the largest hail. can be created.”
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like rising global temperature, as well as the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, including thunderstorms. Flying through hail can be damaging quickly, but Vandewege said that doesn't mean flying is unsafe.
He told CBS News that building materials “continue to evolve” to make aircraft “lighter and stronger,” and that the information and technology used to protect against hail is also undergoing significant advancements.
“Of course, wearing a seatbelt, light or not, is also recommended,” he said. “…Given how advanced evasion technology has become, I don't think there is any more reason to fear safety from thunderstorms than there used to be. In fact, the past was more dangerous because we relied on weaker technologies for evasion.”