City Was Hit By 75 mph Wind Gusts, Damaging Multiple Aircraft and Hangars

On Friday, September 5, Texas pilots learned the hard way exactly how important it is to use tie-downs, with one plane being flipped by 75-mile-per-hour wind gusts and coming to rest on another. Several planes and hangars were damaged in the storms, but fortunately, no injuries were reported.

The Denton Fire Department says that at least one aircraft at Denton Enterprise Airport (DTO) was flipped entirely onto another, while several others sustained substantial damage. The force of the winds also caved in a hangar wall. Officials shared photos on social media showing the plane pile, later confirming that gusts peaked at 75 mph during the first round of storms. These were trailed by another hit three hours later, bringing 58 mph winds. Between the two waves, nearly an inch and a half of rain fell on the airport.

Airport officials and city leaders have not yet released an exact number of aircraft affected, though the visuals make it painfully obvious that multiple owners are now facing costly repairs—or total losses.

The storms didn’t spare the rest of Denton. Lightning ignited an attic fire in a Southridge neighborhood home, injuring one person before firefighters got it under control. Fallen trees and power outages followed.

For Denton residents, this story may sound disturbingly familiar… because it is. Back in May 2017, severe storms brought winds of up to 48 mph to DTO, flipping and damaging a dozen planes and hangars. No injuries were reported in the incident. The more recent event was stronger and seemingly more destructive, yet once again, no serious injuries were reported.

FMI: www.dentonairport.com