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Photos in graphic from Oil City News, credit to Dan CepedaA Cessna 172N Skyhawk flipped over on the runway by strong winds at the Casper/Natrona County International Airport (CPR) on Monday.
The small single-engine Cessna was no match for the powerful Wyoming winds that afternoon when it was flipped over by a gust of wind after landing. Cowboy State Daily said the one pilot on board was unharmed. He landed at CPR and was taxiing when he made a turn and the wind flipped the plane over.
"No, you see them get blown off the runway sometimes," said Tim McIntire to Cowboy State Daily, who works in the Casper/Natrona County International Airport Public Safety Department. "I can't say in my career I've been working when one has flipped. Well, now I have. It happens. Generally, aircraft like that don't fly when they have those types of wind. But what do you do when there's no wind when you take off and it picks up while you're (in the air)?"
Sara Knox, who was in another plane at the time, told local K2 Radio that she was in another plane on the runway preparing to take off when she heard the captain scream, "Oh s---, that plane just crashed."
The runway was closed after the crash. K2 Radio said other flights were delayed as a result and a high wind warning was in effect for the Casper-area until that evening. The National Weather Service reports that a strong cold front is currently crossing the Eastern U.S. with widespread gusty to high winds, showers and thunderstorms. As of Wednesday, Casper is shown on the map in an area with hazardous weather conditions. Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day reported that from November to April in Wyoming, high wind events of 60-70 mph are common. A flying school in Cheyenne grounded plans for the day due to the windy conditions. Aviation Safety Network reports that at the time the plane flipped, winds were 39 gusting to 53 knots or about 60 mph.RELATED STORIES:Arizona airport hit by monsoon - 20 planes, multiple hangars damaged'Gustnado' wipes out flight school fleetChallenger 300 passenger dies in turbulence; storms damage airports, cancel flights
Weather can be a formidable opponent. Severe weather like rain, snow and wind can impede flight operations on the ground as well as in the air. Severe turbulence in the sky or damage on the ground are often consequences of stormy weather. In March 2023, major storms hit parts of the country, bringing heavy snowfall and hurricane-force winds and airports all over faced cancellations or closures In anticipation of power outages or storm-related damages. Stormy weather led to flash floods, tornadoes and record wind was seen in parts of Kentucky and Indiana, with wind gusts reaching 60-80 mph in the region, strong enough to flip a plane at Bowman Field (LOU), home of GlobalAir.com.
Severe weather is not always thunderstorms and heavy snow. In April 2023 a gustnado ripped through the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport (MKC) and nearly wiped out an entire fleet belonging to ATD Flight Systems. A gustnado is a small whirlwind that forms as a whirlpool in thunderstorm outflows and unlike a tornado, does not connect with any cloud-based rotation since its origin is associated with cumuliform clouds. In September 2023, the Falcon Field Airport (FFZ) in Mesa, Arizona faced serious damage after a strong monsoon swept through the area, flipping planes and ripping off hangar doors. About 20 aircraft on the field were overturned or damaged and one hangar had an entire side ripped off.