Storm over Falcon Field (KFFZ, Phoenix) Flips Planes

Nathan Hyland

Nathan Hyland

Pre-Flight
Joined
Jun 9, 2020
Messages
63
Location
Queen Creek, AZ
Display Name
Display name:
Nathan
Just 15 miles East of all that and didn’t see squat. AZ weather can be very odd. Hangar roofs and tied down planes got nailed. Saw a few Pipers and Cessnas upside down on the news. Here is a good shot.
IMG_6097.jpeg
 
John Spartan said:
Just 15 miles East of all that and didn’t see squat. AZ weather can be very odd. Hangar roofs and tied down planes got nailed. Saw a few Pipers and Cessnas upside down on the news. Here is a good shot.
View attachment 120571
Click to expand...
A couple weeks back a thunderstorm here in MD caused a downburst that local news stated caused gusts in excess of 70mph. We certainly saw it - tons of branches, a couple of old trees, and power lines down near me, and my neighbor's wood fence collapsed into my yard. The neighborhood was a complete mess.
Drove the next day, and two blocks away, the neighborhood there looked pristine. It was like a precision strike on my block.
 
Buddy of mine sent these. A couple of Oxford Aviation planes were flipped.


image000000(2).jpgimage000001.jpg
 
Hopefully none of the Commemorative Museum's warbirds or exhibits were damaged.
 
MFE said:
Hopefully none of the Commemorative Museum's warbirds or exhibits were damaged.
Click to expand...
Fairly sure a few were damaged. News report implied unclearly.
 
Pilawt said:
An independent meteorologist says what hit FFZ fits the definition of tornado. Radar had the classic "hook" pattern suggestive of tornado.
Click to expand...
There was a separate news report, showing a rotational cloud not that long before this all went down too.
 
I am based there. City hangers have roller doors and probably 30% came off their tracks and either fell outward or are leaning against the airplane inside. The WW2 hangers were refurbished about 5 years ago and lost most of their roofs. Some steel buildings that were being leased lost most of their sheeting(one lost pretty much all the outside walls and is just a frame(see photo previously posted), pretty much all are missing roof pieces and walls). I didn't inspect the tie down areas but definitely a big mess there as well from the news photos. It is being called a microburst but apparently there are radar plots with a tornado "signature" shape.

I lucked out in that my plane is in what appears to be one of the only city hanger rows that didn't lose a door.
 
Mother nature at her worst.sorry for the loss and damage to all the airplanes involved
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top