Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida hit hard by tornado

[Florida Flyer]

The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, USA was hit hard by what is reported to be a F2 class tornado Christmas afternoon. Early reports are that as many as 50 of their planes have been damaged, as has a hanger, admin and student buildings, and a nearby apartment complex often housing students of ERAU.

As students were on the Christmas break there have been few injuries.

University officials have stated that they hope to be able to resume classes for the spring semester.

Image of some of the damaged planes and buildings:

http://www.news-journalonline.com/downloads/1225storm2.jpg

[Tinstaafl]

About 2300 xmas eve I had a last minute charter pop up: Collect the pax in Daytona at 1700 xmas day to take them to the Florida Keys. The FBO I was to use is the other side of the runway from ERAU.
Watching the Wx radar over the 'net made me decide to cancel the flight (with the customer's concurrence of course. He decided driving was a better option). Bloody glad I did! That was about the time ERAU was spanked. The boss was rather happy too.
Soon as I was stood down by work it was instant beer o'clock. No getting called out a second time for me! :}

[Florida Flyer]

More images here taken by one of the ERAU students:

http://erau.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2027322&l=f1dd8&id=39700384

Not for the faint of heart.

[ironbutt57]

Guess it's a good thing it was beer o'clock, caz there's lots of future beer cans in a pile there:} yikes good thing nobody was hurt:ok:

[hart744]

Did they tie down the planes before the tornado hit?

[ironbutt57]

Dont think it would make much difference if they are tied down or not if the tornado passed directly overhead...

[Florida Flyer]

Did they tie down the planes before the tornado hit?

Yes, the reports are that the planes were tied down but that the lines were only rated for up to 65 mph winds. So, ineffective in a tornado.

[Tolsti]

I guess that there are some insurance agents with serious headaches in the vicinity and some airplane salesmen rubbing their hands!!
Glad no-one appears to have been hurt.

[Danny]

Did they tie down the planes before the tornado hit?
Never mind tie-down! Some of these a/c were 'chained-down'. Look at what's hanging off the tail in the remains of the a/c in picture 24:
http://photos-591.ak.facebook.com/ip002/v56/135/23/39700384/n39700384_30668591_3728.jpg

Some people don't have any concept of the forces involved in a tornado.

I just hope that ERAU's insurance policy covered them for something like this.

[FlyVMO]

This is really hard to look at...having spent 4 years on that flight line. All Riddle planes are secured with steel chains at 3 points at all times, 4 points would almost definitely have been in use if they saw this coming in on the radar....but I think the tie down rings would have ripped out of the airframe in a tornado anyway (as Danny pointed out, massive forces involved)....my God it will be months before its back to normal...
Thank god no one was killed.
Video link to local TV news Helicopter footage...
http://www.wesh.com/video/10606743/index.html

[Keygrip]

It's quite possible that the fleet is not insured.

When I worked with FlightSafety International (who had 108 aircraft, at the time) the "flight line" was not insured for anything other than third party - working on the assumption that the cost of insuring ALL the aircraft, rather than the cost of replacing any one of them (should it "come down"), was not a viable proposition.

Same, apparently, with the shopping chain Marks & Spencer - they were not, when I worked with them, insured for fire. The fire security was top notch and, again, the costs of rebuilding one store was less than insuring them all.

The whole thing of insurance is "risk assessment". Somebody has been asking themselves, "What's the chance of losing 50 of our 65 aircraft at once?".

As for ERAU - I dread to think how many staff (flight instructors, dispatchers, mechanics, refuellers, administrators - the list goes on) are now out of work.

I wonder how many "paid up front" students are suddenly without a course to complete and no funds to go elsewhere with.

A dreadful happening for the Florida flight training industry. The knock on effects will be far and wide - even just for instructor salaries.

[maycli]

Have just seen this thread and watched the video. My brother lives in Ormond Beach which is only 3/4 miles north of Daytona. I have just rung him to see how they were and how much damage if any they had suffered. The amazing thing is that they didn't even know it had happened until they saw it on local TV.The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, USA was hit hard by what is reported to be a F2 class tornado Christmas afternoon. Early reports are that as many as 50 of their planes have been damaged, as has a hanger, admin and student buildings, and a nearby apartment complex often housing students of ERAU.

As students were on the Christmas break there have been few injuries.

University officials have stated that they hope to be able to resume classes for the spring semester.

Image of some of the damaged planes and buildings:

http://www.news-journalonline.com/downloads/1225storm2.jpg

[Overtone]

It's quite possible that the fleet is not insured.

The Daytona Beach News reports today on an interview with John Johnson, president of ERAU, who said "All aircraft and buildings are insured."

Full article: http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/newEAST01122706.htm

[Check 6]

Never mind tie-down! Some of these a/c were 'chained-down'. Look at what's hanging off the tail in the remains of the a/c in picture 24:
http://photos-591.ak.facebook.com/ip002/v56/135/23/39700384/n39700384_30668591_3728.jpg
Some people don't have any concept of the forces involved in a tornado.
I just hope that ERAU's insurance policy covered them for something like this.

Winds at the airport hit 120 mph.

[Florida Flyer]

The Orlando Sentinel has reported that a Comair flight (Delta Connection - OH) operating KLGA-KDAB that was landing at about the time of the tornado was not warned or made aware of the event in part because controllers were not aware of the tornado themselves.

Fair use excerpt from the article:

A Comair passenger jet about to land at Daytona Beach International Airport was on a collision course Monday with a tornado that air-traffic controllers knew nothing about.

Aviation officials failed to warn the controllers about the Christmas Day twister that could not be detected on the type of weather radar used at the airport, the Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged Thursday.

Making matters worse, the controllers' union says, a recent policy change banned radios from the tower that could have received an alert sent 20 minutes before the tornado touched down.


Link to the article:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/volusia/orl-vradar2906dec29,0,1393722.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

[greg_gard]

The wrecked planes were moved to Flagler County (x47), here are the pictures (http://www.woodtoyfun.com/zzzembryriddletornado.html) I took at the salvage yard. Glad I was tied down at Flagler.
Greg