Plume from Bogoslof on February 19, 2017, seen from Unalaska Island, 53 miles east-southeast of the volcano. This photo, captured from a helicopter during fieldwork by the Alaska Volcano Observatory, was taken 14 minutes after this particular explosive event began. Credit: Janet Schaefer and the Alaska Volcano Observatory / Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys
Volcanic lightning helps aviators avoid hazardous ash
By Alka Tripathy-Lang
May 1, 2020
Pilot: KLM 867 heavy, we are descending now: we are in a fall!
On Dec. 14, 1989, Redoubt Volcano in Alaska began to erupt. The next day, in an effort to avoid ash clouds reported by other aircraft, KLM Flight 867 diverted from its normal route. At 11:46 a.m., the Boeing 747 inadvertently entered the ash cloud at approximately 25,000 feet. To exit the cloud, the crew decided to ascend, but after about 90 seconds, at 27,900 feet, all four engines failed. After gliding to 13,300 feet in a region where the mountains rise to as high as 11,000 feet, the crew managed to restart the engines and make an emergency landing in Anchorage, Alaska.
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