Wright-Patterson AFB and US Air Force Museum damaged by tornado
On Feb. 28, 2024 Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB), Ohio, sustained damage from suspected tornado. The National Museum of the US Air Force’s Restoration Hangar 4, Gate 22B (I-675 Gate) and several other buildings on WPAFB’s Area B sustained damage after a suspected early-morning tornado touched down yesterday.
According to the National Museum of The US Air Force Facebook page, the 88th Civil Engineer Group, first responders and base safety personnel are assessing damage throughout the base.
Col. Travis Pond, 88th Air Base Wing and installation commander explained;
“Our initial assessment from this morning’s storm is the damage is isolated to the southern side of Area B. Our initial focus right now is on safety and damage assessment. I can’t speak highly enough about our security forces, Fire Department and civil engineer Airmen for their quick response and hard work to assess damage and determine a path forward for restoring operations as quickly as possible.”
Considerable damage to an F-104 fighter and a T-33 trainer
As reported by Air & Space Forces Magazine, photos uploaded to the base’s Flickr page showed considerable damage to two Cold War-era jets, an F-104 fighter, and a T-33 trainer, and to the hangars behind them. The photos also showed significant damage to the entrance of an Air Force Research Laboratory building. The base did not immediately respond to questions about whether other aircraft or artifacts were damaged. Other photos showed workmen clearing roads of fallen trees.
The Dayton Daily News reported some injuries, power outages, and damage in the nearby town of Riverside, with one account of furniture flying out of a store window.
Wright-Patterson AFB and the National Museum of the US Air Force
Wright-Patterson AFB is headquarters for a vast, worldwide logistics system, a world-class laboratory research function, and is the foremost acquisition and development center in the US Air Force. Dozens of associate organizations representing a broad spectrum of Air Force and Department of Defense activities call Wright-Patterson home. The base is comparable to a medium sized city with services ranging from shopping facilities to child care centers. Wright-Patterson’s economic impact to the greater Dayton region is approximately $4 billion.
The base also features The National Air and Space Intelligence Center, an airlift wing, an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance wing, and a range of other units and offices.
The National Museum of the US Air Force, is the world’s largest military aviation museum. With free admission and parking, the museum features more than 350 aerospace vehicles and missiles and thousands of artifacts amid more than 19 acres of indoor exhibit space.
2023 marked the museum’s 100th Anniversary.
Photo by U.S. Air Force
