Authorities Still Investigating Damage After the EF-1 Tornado

As an EF-1 tornado whizzed through northern Texas, two business jets decided it was their best bet to huddle up under the wing of a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III. The storm brought winds upwards of 70 miles per hour and caused severe infrastructure damage.

The tornado was confirmed to have touched down on the morning of March 4 in Irving, Texas. Though this is generally considered a weak storm, it can still bring winds of up to 110 mph that cause moderate damage to homes and buildings. The National Weather Service stated that the tornado had a brief rampage before spinning up, leaving only a few blocks in its direct path.

Even with the tornado’s short stay, more than 350 residents were evacuated from their Irving apartments. Nearby roofs were ripped off, walls came crumbling down, power lines toppled over, and windows shattered in the winds, which were reported at 70 miles per hour.

The storm had a fairly dramatic effect on several local airfields. Air Park-Dallas Airport (F69), located in Carrollton and west of the Dallas North Tollway, reported that at least three single-engine aircraft sustained damage. Photos showed one high wing plane flipped upside down and propped against a hangar door, another pushed into the side of a building, and a bunch of pretty roughed-up hangars. The extent of the damage to aircraft inside these hangars has not been reported.

Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport (AF)felt some more expensive effects, with damage to multiple buildings, hangars, and aircraft. Local flight school Marcair Aviation had half of its hangar torn away. Footage also showed two Challenger business jets pushed into a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, with one ahead of its left wing and the other huddled under it.

The USAF’s 445th Airlift Wing shared that it is bracing for damage estimates and that the incident is already being investigated. An airport spokesperson confirmed that there were no injuries, and the airport remains open for operations.

FMI: www.445aw.afrc.af.mil