A downdraft is downward moving air, usually the direct result of air convection within the thunderstorm. Downdrafts can be extremely powerful, and some aircraft have crashed as a direct result of downdrafts.
The downdrafts that caused Delta Air Lines Flight 191 to crash after takeoff in 1985 were presumably caused by an extremely powerful type of downdraft - Microburst Wind shear, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to research and deploy new storm detection radar stations at some of the major airports.
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