The Dangers of Microbursts

Downburst - Wikipedia

One of the greatest meteorological hazards to aviation is a microburst (also called a downburst). These are sudden bursts of air that rush down from the sky at speeds of up to 100 mph. There are two types of microbursts - wet and dry. Wet microbursts are often associated with thunderstorms, when dry air causes moisture in the cloud to suddenly evaporate, cooling the air. That cool air then wants to sink, quickly rushing down and out of the storm at rapid speeds affecting an isolated area on the ground. Sometimes, these microbursts are strong enough to cause damage to property. Dry microbursts do not need to be directly associated with storm and often does not have precipitation falling with them (thus, the name dry microburst). These occur when humidity levels are high at the upper levels of the atmosphere, with much less humidity at the ground levels of the atmosphere. Precipitation begins to fall at higher levels of the atmosphere, evaporating as it hits the dry air. The evaporation cools the air, sending it rapidly rushing below the warmer air to the ground (Pedersen, 2016).

What is a microburst, and why is it very dangerous for aircraft? - Quora

Microbursts become dangerous to aviation as these strong bursts of winds can often be strong enough to push the aircraft and leave pilots without control. Pilots will likely encounter microbursts during landing or takeoff, as the microbursts occur below the base of a thunderstorm cloud or at lower levels of the atmosphere. These bursts of wind can either suddenly push the aircraft downward, which can be particularly dangerous when on approach for landing. A microburst could also suddenly turn a steady headwind into a sudden and strong tailwind, which can greatly interfere with safe takeoffs or landings (Wind Shear, n.d.). 

Microbursts have caused tragic accidents, one of the most infamous being the Delta Flight 191 crash of 1985. It was determined that this crash, which occurred on the north end of DFW airport, was directly related to a microburst. The Dallas area had been experiencing thunderstorms throughout the day and satellite imagery after the crash indicated a microburst that occurred from the thunderstorm cell nearby the airport. This accident was particularly tragic with over 100 fatalities. Thankfully, the studies that led to the discovery and development of scientific understanding of microbursts have drastically decreased accidents related to them. Pilots are more informed and apt to recognize any signs of a microburst beginning to occur (Remembering Delta, n.d.) 


References 

Pedersen, T. (2016, August 26). Facts about microbursts. LiveScience. https://www.livescience.com/55912-microbursts.html 

Remembering Delta Flight 191. (n.d.). National Weather Service. https://www.weather.gov/fwd/delta191 

Wind shear: An invisible enemy to pilots? (n.d.). Airbus. https://safetyfirst.airbus.com/wind-shear-an-invisible-enemy-to-pilots/ 


Comments

  1. EmefreJanuary 21, 2022 at 3:31 PM

    A microburst is difficult to detect and predict as they are short-lived. They sometimes appear amongst radar images. Because of this and the shortness to lead time, warning to approaching aircraft may not be possible. Today’s weather monitoring systems will detect a microburst but the problem lies on when the detection is seen. When severe thunderstorms are expected, weather forecasters will assume that microburst is possible within the storm system. Now they must translate radar information and watch for an area of merging air within the mid-level of the storm.
    USAir flight 1016 crashed at Charlotte International Airport on July 2, 1994, due to an intense microburst wind shear killing 37 passengers.


    References

    What is a Microburst? (n.d.). National Weather Service. Retrieved January 21, 2022, from https://www.weather.gov/bmx/outreach_microbursts

    Smith, M. (2014, July 2). Defeating the downburst: 20 years since last U.S. commercial jet accident from wind shear - The Washington Post. Washington Post; The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2014/07/02/defeating-the-downburst-20-years-since-last-u-s-commercial-jet-accident-from-wind-shear/

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