Alaskan volcano erupts again; triggers aviation alert
- 7 years ago
ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA — The Alaska Volcano Observatory sent out a warning to all aircraft following an eruption at the Bogoslof volcano — the latest in a series of eruptions that first began in December 2016.
CNN reports that airlines were placed on high alert on Saturday after Alaska’s Bogoslof volcano erupted at 10:15 a.m. A cloud of ash was sent up more than 30,000 feet into the air over the Aleutian Islands, which is a key flight path between Asia and North America.
Once ash enters an aircraft engine, glass in the ash melts as it passes through the plane’s combustion chamber, which operates at temperatures as high as 1,500 degrees Celsius.
The molten glass particles then stick to the turbine blades and bring them to a standstill. This can cause the engines to stall
The particles in the ash can also block the pitot tubes, which act as airspeed sensors. The blockage would give the aircraft false airspeed readings, which could be overlooked by the pilots.
The red alert was downgraded to orange on Sunday after no further ash emissions occurred.
CNN reports that airlines were placed on high alert on Saturday after Alaska’s Bogoslof volcano erupted at 10:15 a.m. A cloud of ash was sent up more than 30,000 feet into the air over the Aleutian Islands, which is a key flight path between Asia and North America.
Once ash enters an aircraft engine, glass in the ash melts as it passes through the plane’s combustion chamber, which operates at temperatures as high as 1,500 degrees Celsius.
The molten glass particles then stick to the turbine blades and bring them to a standstill. This can cause the engines to stall
The particles in the ash can also block the pitot tubes, which act as airspeed sensors. The blockage would give the aircraft false airspeed readings, which could be overlooked by the pilots.
The red alert was downgraded to orange on Sunday after no further ash emissions occurred.