NMUSAF Restoration Hangar Damaged By Tornado

[Steve Nelson]

Looks like it was the south hangar. An A-26, TF-104, and T-33 outside got knocked around. Can't really tell how much damage the contents of the hangar may have suffered. In one pic you can see the back end of the XB-43 Jetmaster and the wings of the O-46 still in their storage cradles.

Fortunately it was at night so I assume there was no one in the hangars, and there are no reports of injuries.

SN

https://www.wpafb.af.mil/News/Article-D ... d-tornado/

[quemerford]

Presumably tornadoes in Ohio are now things we need to contend with: hopefully they can recover anything that's been damaged.

[Fencer]

Any news on the museum itself?

[JohnB]

Presumably tornadoes in Ohio are now things we need to contend with....

Tornados have ALWAYS been a thing in that area.
One in Xenia, a few miles east of W-P, killed 34 in 1974. It was in the beginning of April, so about one month short of 50 years.

When I was stationed at W-P in the early '90s, we had a lot of watches and warnings this time of year.

[mustangdriver]

No damage to museum.

[Steve Nelson]

Any news on the museum itself?

A museum spokesperson on Facebook indicated the main museum is fine. So is the hangar next to the damaged one (The Swoose is in the undamaged hangar.) And from what I'm hearing, the damaged planes outside were old gate guards that were rotten with corrosion.


SN

[old iron]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wrightpattafb/albums/72177720315118225/with/53556996562

There is a lot of pictures of the outside of the building, showing significant damage to several planes, but no pictures of the inside.

[Chris Brame]

The T-33 and TF-104 were former display aircraft that were recovered by the NMUSAF due to neglect; anyone have an ID on the A-26?


Previous thread featuring the 104; was at Grissom and then the Huntington, IN airport:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22550&hilit=huntington

[Andy Marden]

A Lockheed C-60A was outside last I heard (43-16445).
Could this be the "A-26"?

[Steve Nelson]

A Lockheed C-60A was outside last I heard (43-16445).
Could this be the "A-26"?

No, it's definitely and Invader, although I don't know the ID (the engines seen in the damage photos are twin-row radials, and the C-60 has single-row R-1820s.) Apparently the museum is restoring the forward fuselage of the Invader for some sort of static display. It can be seen in the background of some of the recent photos of The Swoose in the restoration hangar. The rest of the airframe was sitting outside. Like you, I'm curious about the C-60 and YC-125, which were also parked outside last I knew. It looks like the damage was pretty localized, so hopefully anything parked nearby is OK.

SN

[Steve Nelson]

From the Dayton Daily News...


"(Museum Director David) Tillotson said that while some of the artifacts sitting within the storage building — which includes six aircraft awaiting restoration and a missile system — sustained some damage, it’s considered minor.

A wing from a B17 belonging to the Smithsonian Museum that’s stored within the building was unscathed, however.

“Just in case the Smithsonian is watching this presser, that wing appears undamaged,” Tillotson confirmed.

Sitting outside of the restoration storage building is a damaged F-104 Star Fighter aircraft. Tillotson said this aircraft was awaiting pick-up to be recycled.

“Basically, it was a parts bird for the aircraft that sits in front of the museum,” he said. “We used the wings off of it and a couple of other things to upgrade that aircraft, and this one was scheduled for disposal.”

[Tim Savage]

The F-104 wasn't returned to the NMUSAF because of neglect. The City of Huntington sent it back because they no longer had a place to display it when the airport expanded their ramp. The NMUSAF hadn't paid any attention to it for years. How do I know, I was on the airport board for the airport. The T-33 was in a City park and had been filled with cement years ago. It was junk.

The A-26 is a 41-39486. N26VQ. The NMUSAF bought the project (the wings are a corroded mess) to cut the cockpit off for a display. I have heard they planned to scrap the rest.

[martin_sam_2000]

Presumably tornadoes in Ohio are now things we need to contend with....

Tornados have ALWAYS been a thing in that area.
One in Xenia, a few miles east of W-P, killed 34 in 1974. It was in the beginning of April, so about one month short of 50 years.

When I was stationed at W-P in the early '90s, we had a lot of watches and warnings this time of year.

yeah..From someone who dos not live in a tornado prone area, I was a bit taken aback when I saw the tornado shelter signs just inside the main doors of the museum. First and only official tornado shelter I have ever seen!


Sean

[Chris Brame]

The F-104 wasn't returned to the NMUSAF because of neglect. The City of Huntington sent it back because they no longer had a place to display it when the airport expanded their ramp. The NMUSAF hadn't paid any attention to it for years. How do I know, I was on the airport board for the airport.

Aha! Thanks for the clarification.

The T-33 was in a City park and had been filled with cement years ago. It was junk.

Agreed on the condition, although I don't see any cement in here (unless there's cement in the tail):






(photos from 2015 courtesy Nathan Decker)

[K5DH]

The seats in that T-33 would be cool in an old school hot rod!