Wet Microburst Also Severely Damaged Aircraft

Heavy thunderstorms on Saturday severely damaged an aircraft and several hangar doors at North Platte Regional Airport (KLBF) in North Platte, Nebraska. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) a small line of thunderstorms moved across northern Lincoln County around 3 am CDT.

The trailing end of the storms continued eastward and produced a wet microburst event that impacted eastern portions of the city of North Platte including the airport. The NWS conducted a survey of the area that showed widespread damage in those areas. The wet microburst contained peak winds estimated at 100 mph.

There were reports of trees uprooted as well as damage to homes and hangars by the high winds and flying debris. At the airport most of the damage was to several hangar doors which were caved in by the winds and potentially caused structural damage as well. Airport Manager Justin Gosnell estimated the damage could be in the millions of dollars, depending on inspections of the hangars by structural engineers.

Mr. Gosnell said, “I haven’t priced the hangar, but I’d bet it would be couple million.To where if we just had doors and minor damage, it would probably be less. I don’t have any numbers or any firm calculation until the right people are involved and they start doing estimates and checking things structurally and things like that.” He also mentioned that the hangar doors would have to be removed so aircraft inside can be moved out.

Mr. Gosnell also mentioned that when crews showed up around 5 am CDT there were about 200 dead birds on the runway and around the airport that took some time to clean up. However, no flights were delayed, including United Express flights.

FMI: www.forecast.weather.gov