An airplane being hit by lightning in mid-air is actually a common occurrence and rarely poses a threat to the crew and passengers. So, what happens when a plane is struck by lightning, and how do planes withstand the strikes? The answers have to do with electrical conduction. Electrical Conduction A lightning bolt is a current of electrons that are all traveling in the same direction, and this is what causes lightning to have huge amounts of energy. A plane, however, is not harmed by all this energy because it is made of materials that are good conductors of electricity, like aluminum. The electrical current can pass through the conductors…