How did Mt.St. Helens cause a plane to crash if a plane flies in the
air?
Jeff and Akshay
Hi Jeff and Akshay,
Well, you're right, planes are in the air. However, you have to remember
that volcanoes put a lot of ash and gas into the air as well. Ash is
actually little particles of glass so you can imagine that getting this
stuff into the engine of an airplane is bad news. It is really bad for
jet engines because they are hot enough to melt the ash and melted rock is
not exactly good for a jet engine. Ash is also very abrasive and can
sandblast wings, control surfaces, and windows.
Additionally, there are often very violent thunderstorms and wind shears
around erupting volcanic plumes. These are very dangerous to fly through
because they are strong and change rapidly.
So you can see that it is very dangerous to fly anywhere near an erupting
volcano. Better to watch from far away on the ground.
Sincerely,
Scott Rowland
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