Many Airplanes Flipped Over When Possible Microburst Hit The Airport

Damage to aircraft at Chandler Municipal Airport in Chandler, AZ may top $1 million, according to airport officials and others cleaning up the mess.

The airport bore the brunt of a major monsoon storm that hit the region earlier this month. Television stations KPHO and KTVK report that the damage is still being assessed and cleaned up.

Chandler Air Service, which offers both flight instruction and aircraft for rent, says of its fleet of 24 airplanes, seven were destroyed and nine more were damaged. The company says it's losses alone are come to $500,000.

Many other planes were damaged by the storm when they were tossed around by the wind that is thought to have gusted in excess of 100 miles per hour.

John Walkup, president of Chandler Air Service, said his insurance company very quickly wrote him a check for the damages, and while it is not a great way to get a fleet of new airplanes, "we're upgrading to larger airplanes and later model aircraft to replace all those that were destroyed," he told the stations.

FMI: www.aerobatics.com