Updrafts and downdrafts , along with wind shear in general , are a major contributor to airplane crashes during takeoff and landing in a thunderstorm . Extreme cases , known as downbursts and microbursts can be deadly and difficult to predict or observe . The crash of Delta Air Lines Flight 191 on its final approach before landing at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in 1985 was presumably caused by a microburst , and prompted the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) to research and deploy new storm detection radar stations at some of the major airports , notably the ones in the South , Midwest , and Northeast United States where wind shear affects air safety . Downbursts can cause extensive localized damage , similar to that caused by tornadoes . Downburst damage can be differentiated from that of a tornado because the resulting destruction is circular and radiates away from the center . Tornado damage radiates inward , towards the center of the damage
Delta Air Lines Flight 191
Delta Air Lines Flight 191
Vertical draft