Ten US Navy helicopters blown over in storm!
 

https://news.usni.org/2022/07/27/10-...-norfolk-storm

10 Navy Helicopters Suffer Major Damage, Several Blown Over in Sudden Norfolk Storm

By: Sam LaGrone

July 27, 2022 5:17 PMhttps://news.usni.org/wp-content/upl...53-60flip.jpegNavy helicopters damaged by a sudden thunderstorm on July 26, 2022, at Chambers Field at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.

At least 10 Navy helicopters were damaged in a sudden storm that blew through Norfolk Naval Station, Va., Tuesday afternoon, USNI News has learned.

According to a Navy initial assessment reviewed by USNI News, the storm resulted in 10 Class A ground mishaps – mishaps that result in more than $2.5 million in damage or the total loss of the aircraft.

“The Navy is continuing to assess the full extent of the damages to each airframe, but there are no impacts to operational forces as a result of this incident,” Cmdr. Rob Myers with Naval Air Forces Atlantic told USNI News in a statement.
“Known damages to the aircraft span from broken tail and rotor blades to structural dents and punctures in the airframes. No personnel were injured during the storm.”

The helicopters damaged were five MH-60S Knight Hawks, one MH-60R Sea Hawk and four MH-53E Sea Dragon mine countermeasures helicopters, according to the assessment.

The Navy has about 30 of the mine hunting Sea Dragons in its inventory, according to the most recent data from Naval Air Systems Command. The service has delayed retiring aging helicopters as the Navy has been slow to develop a new airborne mine-hunting platform.

At least four of the multi-million-dollar helicopters – one MH-53E and three MH-60s – were blown over by the wind, according to images of the damage circulating on social media.
https://news.usni.org/wp-content/upl...726_damage.gifWind velocity in Norfolk, Va., around 3:30 p.m., on July 26, 2022. National Weather Service Image

The swift-moving storm traveling toward the Atlantic hugged the southern end of the James River and blew strong, high-speed winds across Norfolk’s Chambers Field, Jeff Orrock, the meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service Wakefield, Va., office, told USNI News on Wednesday.

On Tuesday afternoon, the NWS issued a severe thunderstorm alert at 3:30 p.m., with a warning of winds more than 60 miles per hour. According to the damage assessment, the high winds hit Chambers Field at 3:42 p.m. – 12 minutes after the initial warning.

When given enough warning, aircraft in the path of bad weather are taken into their hangars or tied down. However, the storm came at a time when aviation maintainers are usually in the midst of a shift change. It’s likely that most of the personnel were indoors and would have limited time to bring the aircraft in the hangars, USNI News understands.
https://news.usni.org/wp-content/upl...7/53_flip.jpegMH-53E Sea Dragon blown over by a sudden thunderstorm on July 26, 2022, at Chambers Field at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.

The Tuesday damage to helicopters is under investigation, Navy officials told USNI News.

The incident at Chambers Field comes aftera sudden storm in the Mediterranean Sea blew a F/A-18 Super Hornet off the deck off USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) on July 8. The loss of the fighter is still under investigation.

They chain them when parked on vessels.

IIRC, something similar happened back in the 80's, or early 90's, at Fort Hood with a bunch of Apaches getting knocked about by a microburst (or similar sudden and intense wind event). There may have been other helicopters damaged; the photo that made the rounds among the Navy safety folks briefing us about featured Apaches. FWIW, the MH-60 in the top picture in the OP does not have the blade boots on, which makes me suspect that they were planning on flying it at some point that day.

I would say that the press statement estimate of $2.5 million damage is surely way underestimated!

per aircraft minimum is how I read it.

I think you're right and they'll just keep those cash printers on for a few more days to pay for it.

The threshold is 2.5 Million USD per EACH aircraft unless I misunderstand the Navy system for what defines a Class A Incident.

On a CH-53...laying nearly upside down.....I suppose that is dead certain Class A event for it.

It does make one wonder what the MET guys were doing that day.....or the Unit Ops Officers.

Who would have guessed Thunder Storms could produce high winds.

I was visiting the Apache Aviation Regiment at Illesheim, Germany, to get an early view of Apache operations and noticed that all the aircraft were chained to the flight line with some serious hardware. Now Germany does get the occasional severe storm, but nothing that bad. When I asked someone, I was told it was because of the Ft Hood event that all Apaches globally had to be chained down. Classic military CYA operation, but only after the event and with no regard to a detailed risk assessment. To this day, I believe Germany still get slightly less tornadoes and catastrophic storm fronts than Texas.

Circa 1967, a mild Texas wind storm blew up and swept Downing Army Heliport at Fort Wolters clear of TH-55A Helicopters as if they were just a bunch to Tumbleweeds.....the downwind fence line was littered with them....am guessing about a hundred of them.

It was a pretty impressive sight to see when you arrived at the Heliport to do your day's flying during Primary Flight Training.

At one time there were about 1200 Helicopters assigned to the Primary Flight School at Fort Wolters.

TH-55's, OH-13's, OH-23's, and a handful of CH-34's and UH-1's for SAR along with a few light airplanes for use by Flight Instructors providing over watch on cross country flights.

I do not know when this photo was taken.....


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....aa73988d67.jpg

That's an incredible sight, all those helicopters. It must've been something to see them in full swing.