Why does smoke come out of a plane after landing?

Answer: The smoke is the result of a wheel which is not turning in flight making contact with a stationary runway. The wheel must accelerate to the landing speed very quickly. During that acceleration, there is a short time when the tire is skidding, which produces the smoke.



People Also Ask

If an engine doesn't burn all the fuel that's fed to it, the excess fuel will be released through the airplane's exhaust system, which manifests as a black smoke trail behind the airplane. Black smoke trails such as this were more common during the 20th century.

MORE DETAILS

Question: Captain Cox, why is smoke seen when an aircraft's landing wheels touch down onto the runway? Answer: The smoke is the result of a wheel which is not turning in flight making contact with a stationary runway. The wheel must accelerate to the landing speed very quickly.

MORE DETAILS

Before the ban, lighting and smoking a cigarette on a plane was akin to ordering a drink and all part of the air travel experience. When the smoking ban became law, it was seen as a critical step in helping to improve public health by limiting people's exposure to secondhand smoke.

MORE DETAILS

The wing going through high moisture content compresses the air over the wing creating moisture trail. It's actually not smoke but condensation formed by the drop in pressure at the wing tips anytime lift is produced, near the ground in humid conditions.

MORE DETAILS

In the US, smoking on an aircraft is not only illegal, but it is punishable with a $4,000 fine. US officials treat smoking on an airplane as a serious offense and have strictly enforced this law since it was first passed.

MORE DETAILS

The bathrooms on airplanes are, of course, fitted with smoke detectors. If someone ignores the rules and decides to light up anyway, the smoke alarm will detect their actions and the flight crew will be alerted.

MORE DETAILS

While fuel dumps don't happen every day, they're also not uncommon. Nor do they usually represent a major emergency. In fact if an aircraft is taking the time to dump fuel before landing, that's likely an indication that the issue forcing the plane to land is serious but not critical.

MORE DETAILS

Water vapour is produced by planes as the hydrogen in its fuel reacts with oxygen in the air. In cold conditions (typically below around -40C (-40F)) it can condense, typically on the soot particles also emitted from aircraft engines, to a fog of droplets, which then freeze to form ice particles.

MORE DETAILS