What Makes Volcanic Ash So Dangerous to Aircraft?

Flying aircraft requires careful consideration and attention to details that many people would not typically think of as relevant to flight. Of course, safe weather conditions, properly working systems, and up-to-date certifications are important factors to consider when operating planes, but there are other factors that non-pilots may not realize require consideration. One such factor is the danger that volcanic ash poses to jets. While a relatively uncommon occurrence, erupting volcanoes may send ash clouds into the air high enough to reach flight levels. This can be detrimental to most major components of an airplane. As flying through volcanic ash is nothing like flying through smoke or fog, this blog will take a closer look at the unique threats that volcanic ash poses to flight safety.

Unlike smoke above a fire and other gasses, volcanic ash is composed of tiny solid particles like jagged rocks, minerals, and volcanic glass. As such, it is hard and abrasive, and despite being only 2 millimeters across on average, it can cause a great deal of damage. In fact, explosive volcanic eruptions can affect virtually all major components of an airplane. In particular, volcanic ash is a direct danger to the engines of a jet due to the extreme temperatures in their combustion chambers.

If a jet flies through volcanic ash, particles get sucked into the engine. Given the temperature within the combustion chamber is high enough to melt the glassy silicate material in ash clouds, the particles can melt and accumulate as re-solidified deposits in cooler parts of the engine. From here, the glass can degrade performance during flight. Eroding blades, blocking nozzles or filters, and coating temperature sensors are just a few of many issues caused by volcanic ash in a turbine engine. Regardless, all of these threats have severe consequences, such as engine failure caused by an in-flight compressor stall and loss of thrust.

Beyond ash deposits in the engine, volcanic particles threaten other aspects of aircraft. For example, ash can abrade forward-facing surfaces, including windscreens, fuselage surfaces, and compressor fan blades. Additionally, it can have the same effect on navigation and critical instruments that it has on temperature sensors, causing false readings. It may also affect readings of airspeed and altitude by clogging pitot tubes and static ports.

While uncommon, instances of volcanic eruptions disrupting flights are far from impossible. In fact, a volcano in Iceland cost airlines over $3.1 billion in damage repairs in 2010, grounding around 100,00 flights in the surrounding area. Clouds of volcanic ash can travel thousands of miles, so they are hard to predict, making them even more dangerous. Today, meteorologists around the world track the progression of volcanic activity and ash clouds to issue notices and flight restrictions to pilots and airlines, but volcanic ash is an underestimated threat to airline safety.

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