Why Volcanic Ash Melts Inside Jet Engines
About this video
Discover why volcanic ash can shut down jet engines, from melting into glass inside the combustor to eroding compressor blades. Learn how pilots detect ash plumes and the $150 million lesson that changed aviation safety. Chapters: 00:00 All Four Engines Failed 00:16 The night the engines died 00:32 A silent descent 00:51 Why does ash melt? 01:16 Ash becomes liquid glass 01:30 The glass closes in 01:57 The sandpaper effect 02:18 The fatal cascade 02:40 The invisible threat 03:10 The warning came too late 03:34 How do we see it now? 04:00 The Damage Mechanisms 04:20 Volcanic ash can shut down every engine — all at 04:39 Satellites see the plume 05:11 LIDAR maps the plume 05:37 Seeing the invisible 05:59 Ash vs. Sand: A Deadly Difference 06:33 The 1982 Restart Mystery 06:59 The Cost of a Single Encounter 07:22 The glass that never reaches Sources & further reading: • Volcanic ash and aviation safety — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_ash_and_aviation_safety • Impacts & Mitigation - Effects on Aircraft — https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanic_ash/ash_clouds_air_routes_effects_on_aircraft.html • Volcanic Ash | SKYbrary Aviation Safety — https://skybrary.aero/articles/volcanic-ash • 1-Jet-Engines-and-Volcanic-Ash-Rolls-Royce-Position-and-Guidance — https://www.icao.int/sites/default/files/METP/Event%20and%20Workshop/QVA%20Workshop%202024/1-Jet-Engines-and-Volcanic-Ash-Rolls-Royce-Position-and-Guid • British Airways Flight 009 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_009 • Mitigating the Impact of Volcanic Ash Clouds on Aviation – What Do We Need to Know? — https://www.transportation.gov/testimony/mitigating-impact-volcanic-ash-clouds-aviation-%E2%80%93-what-do-we-need-know
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