TORNADO HITS USAF MUSEUM RESTORATION HANGAR - 28 FEB 2024 (NMUSAF)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ย. 2024
- One of the worst nightmares for a museum is storm damage. A tornado hit a restoration hangar and ramp area of the National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF). Damaged aircraft visible in this raw footage include a Douglas A-26 Invader, a Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, and a Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star. Fortunately no injuries were reported following the early-morning severe weather event on Feb. 28, 2024. Blown-in windows and hangar doors leave questions open about any damage to airframes and artifacts inside the restoration hangar. Video is of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force’s Restoration Hangar 4, Gate 22B (I-675 Gate) at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio (U.S. Air Force video by Jeff Harris and Austin Smith).
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Only good news I've heard about this was that "Swoose", the oldest surviving B-17 and only surviving B-17D wasn't damaged by this storm. She's in one of the restoration hangars there at Wright-Patterson.
Did you know that the actress Swoosie Kurtz was named after that B17?
Her father was Frank Kurtz who'd flown "The Swoose" during the war and is also who was responsible for saving it in 1949 when it was scheduled to be scrapped, he persuaded the city father's of Los Angeles to accept it to be put on display, after 3 years of it sitting around without them finding a suitable place for it to be displayed it was donated to the Smithsonian where it sat around for years when it was decided to trade it for another B17 with the Air Force Museum where it has been since.
Kurtz was Gen George Brett's personal pilot during the war when Brett used it as his personal transport, it flew around top brass and dignitaries including a young Congressman and active duty Navy Lt Commander named Lyndon B Johnson.
Before that it was one of the first aircraft in the Pacific to fight against the Japanese having been in the Phillipines when Pearl Harbor was attacked.
@@dukecraig2402 Did you know that Kurtz wrote a book about his experiences in a B-17 including the Swoose? In fact he detailed looking out of his window and seeing the Vietnamese attacking Japanese in what would be the start of the vietnam war. The book is called "Queens Die Proudly". It's a fantastic book about his Army Air Corps career and what he had seen. He describes how they stuck guns out the front fresh air vents under the nose to ward off attacks ect ect.
"And even when on fire or rolling over into a dive they do so gracefully, like a Queen. And Queens die proudly."
- B-17 Cpt. Frank Kurtz
If an artifact can be restored after damage, that museum is the one who can.
Thumbs for the video but a thumbs down to the damage ... Dayum ... 😥
Understood!
Equipment and displays may or may not be able to be replaced. But people cannot. Thank our Lord Jesus Christ that it wasn’t much worse.
@@crabbymilton390 can we leave the Lord out of this? You’re so quick to thank the Lord for saving the people how about the tornado that he created? We thanking him for that too.
@@redeyedmongoose2963 The fact that anything good happens in our sinful lives is because of God’s grace.
@@crabbymilton390 stop with the god stuff. ITS OFFENSIVE.
I've worked at a museum for years, this is as sad as an occurrence can be. I hope they can recover some of it.
So sorry for that!I visited this beautiful museum some decades ago. Keep on going from France!
How vulnerable aircraft are on the ground. I remember seeing photos of damaged B-36s after a tornado went through Carswell AFB. Hopefully all the pieces can be found.
A tornado went through the SAC museum when it was at the outskirts of Offutt AFB in Bel Aire, Nebraska also, stood their B-36 on end enough to bend the fuselage behind the wing.
@@whalesong999 I was a volunteer docent there when the Mrs. and I were station there from 86 - 91.
Such a shame! I visit the museum 8-10 times a year, as the history of military aviation is a deep passion of mine. I’m also an employee of GE Aviation, so seeing our handiwork on the aircraft is always a pleasure! If there’s any need or want for any volunteers to help, I’d be more than happy to donate my time and energy. Just say the word
Sorry to see the damage, I have been to this museum a number of times, it is a great museum.
Oh, this is awful. Thank heavens the Swoose is unhurt. Still, the damage is sickening to see. Prayers that the damage can be repaired, and that the restorations can be salvaged.
I've been to the Museum many times in my youth. With escort, walked through these very hangers. It hurts to my sole to see such destruction, yet it could have been much worse, damn tornadoes
Looks a lot like an A-26 wing, engine, fuselage.
Yup...
Crap. I was thinking same thing.
All the stuff outside was slated to be scrapped anyway. So no real damage done to aircraft. Not sure about the stuff inside the hanger which from what I’ve seen is supposedly the XB-42 and 43. And looks to be an F-15 not sure if it’s the A that came out of the Cold War Gallery
There were times past when that apron in front of the restoration hangars were packed with aircraft. News said fortunately there was limited damage to the precious a/c inside the hangars.
Bummer......😢😢
As a man who has dedicated his life to the flying and restoration of WW2 aircraft, the fact that these a/c sitting outside, even before the tornado were due to be scrapped is a crime. BTW, at this museum I helped make the bathtub turret for the B-17 Swoose and the B-26 rear turret and other weapon packages.
Recreating that bathtub gun emplacement from scratch must have been quite a task.
I’m hoping they’ll put that bathtub turret on display with the Swoose I know it won’t go on it but they could still display it next to it.
This is a similar situation to a tornado (An F4 which had no warning) that hit Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut in 1979. They also had an airplane museum and of the 30 aircraft they had 16 were destroyed and 10 were damaged along with nearly all of the Connecticut National Guard's helicopters. A new museum opened two years later.
Thanks for the video Fred. I remember decades ago when AF field museum folks could go shopping for parts and exhibit material in those hangars. It's sad to see such damage to the facilities as well as the artifacts stored outside. Never enough resources to preserve everything.
You are welcome! Yes, as one who was involved in the field museum program for a number of years, the resources were always strained... or maybe we were all so gung-ho we just strained them!
Thanks, Fred, tough to watch, but thankfully it as I understand it no injuries to people, just airplanes.
You are always welcome!
It’s so sad!!! I want you to be able to rebuild the planes and hangars.
The planes outside were to be scrapped anyway, not sure if any aircraft inside were damaged tho
I was just at the museum last week. Looks like severe damage, but of course it could be worse.
At least the main museum complex was spared. The restoration shop has “can do” guys that will get through this.
that F-104 used to be the gate guard at Grissom AFB. it is scheduled to be scrapped so not that big a deal.
Same as the T-33 and A-26. All stripped of parts and going to be scrapped
When my wife and I were stationed at Wright-Patt, was volunteer docent at the museum.
Yes, I have many good memories of visits to the museum over the years. Hey, thanks for watching and commenting.
Glad to hear no injuries and was expecting the aircraft to be found miles away! Still what a mess, I hope you mend fast. Are Tornado's in February a common thing?
No, quite rare. But perhaps things are changing now with the weather to the point where this could be a more common occurrence in the Midwest in "wintertime."
Yes. Peak tornado season is March through June but are possible year round.
I have seen tornadoes in the Ohio Valley in January.
I hope everyone's OK most importantly, but as an aviation enthusiasts this makes my soul cry. A lot of those parts and certainly the birds they belong to are irreplaceable parts of history. Hopefully they can salvage most, if not all of them but it really does suck to see such treasures hit so hard.
Thankfully the stuff outside we’re slated to be scrapped, I’m not sure of the condition of the stuff inside this particular hanger tho
That sucks
That's a mess, but not the end. Time to roll up sleeves and get to work.
Heart Breaking, Destruction 💔💔💔😢😢😢
Tragic!
Saw the thumbnail and said out loud, NOOO! So sad, I want to help in some way, being a Okie and seeing this often around my state.
Thankfully it was not the museum hangers. Much of what you see of aircraft were setting out side in storage. Still sad. Don't know what was stored in the hanger.
From pictures I’ve seen and people saying, it has the XB-42 and -43 along with a F-15 I’m gonna assume the A that came out of the Cold War gallery maybe, it looked painted so it couldn’t have been the Streak Eagle
The 3 aircraft damaged were gate guardians that were already stripped of parts and scheduled to be scrapped anyways. They were very corroded and not being restored
We're the U.S. Air Force it will be back in operation better than before the tornado
Glad the main museum was not in the path.
I have 7 months of videos to catch up on. My computer was in storage after a move from Id. to Va.
Wow! Idaho to Virginia! I'm glad to hear from you, and welcome back to the channel.
Speechless....
I can’t even read all the comments. This makes me sick to my stomach. Please put out a donation link, unless I missed it. Many of the, most iconic, and historic aircraft from around the world damaged. Everyone, especially veterans of all ages need to support the recovery effort.
Oh Wow ,How Sad, I Hope all The Vintage Air Craft Can Be Saved ! So Sorry, and Best Wishes !
Absolutely heartbreaking 💔....
Saddened to see this. What a loss.
Hope you can get it sorted out 😮
What a shame. This is a great museum and an American treasure.
This hurts
Man that sucks,looks like a lot of damage.
It's the wind of change
Tragic. Hope nobody got hurt.😢
Damn... This looks like what happened to Kermit Weeks and the Fantasy of Flight Muesum several years ago.
A tornado in February? Is that usual in that part of the country?
No it's not. Spring came early to Dayton, Ohio. This is awful to see.
When you get 70 + deg in Feb you are just asking for bad weather to follow.
March and April are the usual tornado months. Some years it comes earlier, some later. Isolated tornadoes can happen any time of the year though.
We had a January tornado, during a snow storm up near Cleveland a number of years back (2008). They aren't common, but not unheard of
@@aztec0112 Same thing in northwestern PA back in 1966 or '67. On the way to my girlfriend's house I saw a cow impaled on a fence post.
Hope you guys can fix it again ! 😢
poor f104 and f80 shooting star. this truly breaks my heart.
They are slated to be scrapped, so damage didn’t really do much to them.
Never liked living in the tornado belt. Time to move the museum to Military City, USA (San Antonio)?
That is sad and really bad luck. But thankfully nobody got injured. And tornado damage just add another layer of history on those warplanes, that can be told.
Good thing we got the boneyard out in Arizona. That's a lot damage. Not a big fan of tornadoes. I was in Dayton during the April '74 outbreak.
Heartbreaking.
This is a shame. Tornado alley seems to be moving North East.
There was at least one turbine engine and one radial engine laying out on the tarmac with the other debris.
Suscks,. but could have been a lot worse folks!
Some comments about where this museum is would have me a lot. I have no idea where this damage took place.
The text says Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Dayton, Ohio - Home of the Wright brothers - hence the first part of the base's name.
39°46'39.71"N 84° 5'39.28"W You can see the Shooting Star and the F-104 on the tarmac
@@airailimages The Museum is on a corner of Old Wright Field (Now Area B of WPAFB) and open to the public on a daily basis. The damaged restoration hangars are about a quarter mile away and not open for visiting. WPAFB is near Dayton in South Western Ohio.
Historical Fact: Those are the hangars where the two B-29s were modified for the atomic bombs in WW2. Also, glad the F-15 Streak Eagle was not damaged as it was undergoing a restoration back to its original livery.
SO sad to see...:(
Could have been far worse…
Were they trashing what was left of the damaged aircraft? Looked like that skidsteer stuffed a wing into the rolloff.
I bet the ones in the hangar are in a pile in one corner too. Jam them in tight to get as many in as you can and still.... Such a shame.
Most of the museum aircraft being stored are in the former R&D and Presidential hangars which were not hit by the tornado.
From pics it looks that atleast the XB-42 and -43 along with a F-15 are in that hanger
*Let the Sunshine In...*
That's terrible, but it could have been much worse. The main museum is less than a mile away.
Nooooooo!
Did the northrop tri motor come out okay? Last i saw it and a few other planes were parked over there.
There is something providentially symbolic in this...
What would that be?
@@Peace2U-ec6es Consider the drive by some (among other drives) to erase our national history of certain honorable people and ideals, for example the destruction and replacement of statues.
@@Peace2U-ec6es I answered, but someone was triggered and removed my answer.
Truth is indeed treason in the Empire of Lies.
I have been there! The old presidential display is to the left in this photo.
I've wanted to visit this place for so long guess I'll have too wait a while longer
The storm damage is in the restoration hangar area; I believe the public museum is still fine.
@@airailimages Museum is open as usual. The main museum buildings and their exhibits were not affected by the tornado. I was actually at the museum the morning after the storm.
Were they able to save any of this or was it all scrapped???
Highly doubt the aircraft would be scrapped
These 3 were already scheduled to be scrapped. Nothing the museum was going to use was damaged.
Were is it. We just visited Dayton aircraft museum and we dont see any damages.
This is the restoration hangar area, across the field from the public museum.
What was the condition of those planes prior to the storm? Since it’s the restoration hanger were the wings of the starfighter removed or did the storm do that? Was the engine of the A26 mounted or was it on the ground undergoing work? I don’t even see the fuselage of the A26.
You can just make out the A-26 on the right side of the screen in a couple of shots
@@aztec0112 I see it now, thanks.
The wings of the F-104 were used on the restoration of the Starfighter which is mounted on the pole out front of the museum. The rest of the airframes outside were slated to be disposed of as scrap. My main concern is for a F-15 (Streak Eagle?) which in some photos is seen in the hangar itself.
@@BigTrain175 Thanks for the info.
@@BigTrain175I think that’s the A from the Cold War gallery,
I know which pics your talking about and to me it looks painted and not “naked” like the streak is now
That Sucks!
Damn😪😪
How sad.
If it wasn't for the cars in the background, this could be a picture straight out of WWII.
Damn.
Was the Swoose damaged?
Hope that wasn't an A-26 that got destroyed
What was shown was hulks of several aircraft stripped of usable parts and slated for disposal even before the storm.
Ouch ... just sayin'
Are these the older hangars across the airfield?
Yes.
I think you forgot to upload the commentary audio with this
There was no commentary audio, but we have a text description on the video page.
Nature just does not care about human endeavors, no matter what the intentions are.
Of course the hangers themselves are basically intact even for being old 😎
Oh no.....
Did the Swoose suffer any damage?
They have said no.
sad but could have always been much worse
Ods are they where just parts laying around. Not whole plains
Exactly.
this just makes me sick to watch.
Show the inside
OMG so sad. History lost.
Sa fait mal au cœur....
0:35 Looks like a crate with an F-15 nose radome inside.
There was a whole F-15 in that hangar. Hopefully not seriously damaged.
only the a26 is really rare many 104s and t33s still around
Looks like the aircraft that were damaged outside were aircraft that were in desperate need of repair, and examples they already have on display.
Hard to see...😪😪
Is the Su-27 still intact?
The SU-27 is on display in the Cold War gallery (next to the MIG-29) and was not damaged. Neither was the main museum buildings and exhibits.
🥺 sad news
That's where they used to house the Presidential planes.......
quelle tristesse, j'espère qu'il pourra être remis en état.
Was that the old confederate air force
No. This is the US Air Force museum in Dayton, OH.