A lightning strike that hit a Baltimore air traffic control tower last year has prompted a nationwide investigation into the safety of the structures.
A lightning strike that hit a Baltimore air traffic control tower last year has prompted a nationwide investigation into the safety of the structures.
The towers were previously believed to have adequate protection systems against such dangers.
During a storm on September 12th of 2013, however, a controller felt a sudden pain, as if something had struck his finger, and fell to his knees.
His left arm and leg went numb and he was taken to the hospital. The man was unable to return to work for 2 months.
It was the first lightning incident involving an air control tower on record.
Recently the FAA announced they will be assessing the condition and safety of 440 similar structures across the country.
Of particular focus will be the 200 or so that were built before 1978, which is the year the protection standards were established.
The current structural requirements include a system of rods and wires that redirect the bolts’ energy to the ground.
Early inspection reports of the Baltimore tower suggest that this redirection network may have been compromised in one of the airport’s subsequent construction projects.
