Snow on hangar roofs

[T-21]

Snow can weigh heavy on canvas hangars and light wooden structures. With the heavy snowfalls across the country today it might be worth checking aircraft hangars and organising a roof sweeping party.
I am going to sweep my greenhouse and shed roofs just in case.

[RatherBeFlying]

There was a recent hangar collapse in New York with several a/c damaged.

The danger is real.

[Lister Noble]

When clearing snow from the greenhouse,be careful not to dislodge the clips that secure the glass,easily done with potentially nasty consequences.
Lister

[Saab Dastard]

It's not just lightweight structures that are in danger - every few years or so there's a news story about a major building where the roof collapsed under an unexpectedly high snow load, and usually in countries where heavy snow is a regular and expected occurrence.

The problem is almost always down to a lack of appreciation at the structural design stage of how snow will drift over the specific roof configuration.

I used to be a civil engineer, so these were of more than academic interest!

SD

[T-21]

Thanks for the support ! recently the HP Hampden on static display in Canada was badly damaged when a wing failed due to the weight of snow.

[M609]

http://www.lorg.net/ofkny/images/stories/031230hangarkollaps/01.jpg

Kjeller airport in Oslo in 2002. They found out the hard way that cheap canvas/tarp hangars need to be monitored closely during heavy snowfall.

http://www.lorg.net/ofkny/images/stories/031230hangarkollaps/03.jpg

[T-21]

Wow,that is a scary photograph,thanks for posting. Its snowing heavily again here north of Cranfield so keep an eye on those hangars.