Storm Causes Major Damage at Olney Airport

A powerful thunderstorm packing wind gusts in excess of 60 mph caused significant damage at Olney Municipal Airport on Sunday, July 5, collapsing a temporary aircraft hangar onto 16 Air Tractor airplanes and overturning a privately owned aircraft shortly after it landed. The storm swept through Olney with high winds that crushed the massive tempo- rary aluminum-framed hangar used by Air Tractor while construction continues on new facilities at the airport. The 131-foot-by-247-foot structure, supplied by Sunbelt Rentals, consisted of a heavy-duty fabric covering supported by an aluminum frame manufactured from extruded aluminum components produced by Olney-based Tower Extrusions. Similar temporary hangars have been used by the U.S. Air Force and other aircraft operators around the country. The collapse left the aircraft trapped beneath a tangle of twisted aluminum and fabric. An Air Tractor official said it was too early to determine the extent of damage to the airplanes because crews were waiting for Sunbelt Rentals to remove the collapsed structure before inspections could begin. Six of the aircraft had already been completed and were awaiting shipment to Air Tractor dealers, while the remaining 10 were in various stages of final assembly. The storm also overturned a privately owned Cessna shortly after its pilot parked the aircraft near the airport’s fuel pumps. According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the airplane is registered to American Sky Aviation of Plano.