Aircraft observations of a lightning channel in STEPS

We analyze a portion of an intracloud lightning channel that was captured on video by an instrumented aircraft and mapped three‐dimensionally by a ground‐based lightning mapping array (LMA). By comparing the electric fields measured on the aircraft with a model which simulates the electrostatic field present after charge was effectively deposited by this flash, we estimate that the channel formed ∼80 m in front of and passed ∼30 m below the aircraft, in agreement with the average LMA locations, and that it deposited on the order of 0.02 mC/m of negative charge.