Click to play videoNew Delhi: Air France flight 447 had encountered serious thunderstorms before sending automated message. One of the messages said that the electrical system had failed and it proved to be last the flight.
On an average an aircraft is struck by lightning once or twice every year.
Modern planes are insulated from electrical charges but there is a small chance that lightning can disable the radar and during a storm that can be disastrous
"I have flown this kind of plane as a captain. It's known that storm during this period could be monstrous. If you lose the radar you could be blinded, you can't make a detour to avoid storms. But if you fly right into the storms extremely violent... it's hard to get out of it," said Gerard Feldzer, Aviation Museum Director, Paris.
The lost plane was flying through a dangerous area known as the monsoon trough. Satellite pictures from Monday morning show thick cloud formations over the zone.
"Inter tropical conversion zones are where the masses of northern and southern hemisphere meet their meeting creates upward pressure we call monsoon trough. Upward currents are accompanied by lightning and turbulence," explained Forecasting France Director Jean-Marie Carriere.
Today's planes are well protected from electricity. But there are concerns that the composite materials that are used to reduce the weight of the planes could also reduce their resistance to lightning.
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