Volcanic Ash and the Affect on Planes

Volcanic Ash and the Effect on Planes

Volcanic eruptions happen once a week all over the world, that is about 50 to 60 eruptions in one year. When these erupt, volcanic ash is ejected into the atmosphere which can cause damage to all types of planes. When volcanic ash comes into contact with a plane's surfaces, it can abrade the windscreen, fuselage surfaces, compressor fan blades, and lead to a loss in navigational and operational instruments. The melting temperature of ash in the ash cloud is also lower than the combustion temperatures in jet engines, which could lead to ash solidifying in cooler parts of the engine. This can degrade the engine’s performance to the point where the engine loses power. From 1953 to 2009, there have been 79 reports of aircrafts flying into volcanic ash. Twenty-six of those reports involved very severe damage to the aircraft, and nine of those encountered a loss of thrust. Luckily, in all nine of those reports, at least one engine was able to restart. 

   Since there have been so many reports of planes flying into volcanic ash, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has established globally coordinated procedures to report and detect volcanic ash in the atmosphere, and issue special warnings to notify airports, airlines, and pilots about any potentially hazardous flying conditions. ICAO has also established a system of nine volcanic ash advisory centers to determine the location and movement of ash clouds in the atmosphere. With these systems in place, it allows pilots, dispatchers, and meteorologists to be aware of volcanic ash in the atmosphere and avoid potentially hazardous airspace. 

References:

Program, V. H. (n.d.). Volcanic Ashfall Impacts. Impacts & mitigation - effects on aircraft. Retrieved January 18, 2023, from https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanic_ash/ash_clouds_air_routes_effects_on_aircraft.html 

​​Flight safety and Volcanic Ash. International Civil Aviation Organization. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18, 2023, from https://www.icao.int/publications/Documents/9974_en.pdf