How do I explain this to my insurance company?

[opticsguy]

I got a frantic call from the KADS airport manager right before lunch. I had to come down to the hangar right away. One of my T-hangar doors was blown off and they needed me to remove the lock so they could weld the parts back on. WTF?

 

The airport is less than a mile from my office (yup), so I got there post haste. All of the airport maintenance crew were around this row ot T-hangars.

 

From what is know now, an A&P took a Challenger out last night to test the engines at the end of the 15-33 taxiway, and had the engines pointed at a row of T-hangars instead of south and away from structures. The jet blast took 4 doors off 2 T-hangars, one of which hit the back of my T-hangar so hard that it pushed the metal 2 feet inward and knocked my rolling tool chest over (my hangar faces away from the runway). Because the hangar divisions don't go all the way to the roof, air was came through to my hangar with enough force to blow one of my doors off.

 

It doesn't seem that my plane moved at all. No damage to the prop that I can see. There is a lot of dirt on the elevator. The jet blast forced air under the wall between hangars and all that dirt ended up on my side. And it was windy enough that my pitot cover was on the ground.

 

It looks like my plane got a serious blast of air from behind, maybe 80-100 MPH. I did not have the controls tied down (why would I?). I've asked FD to weigh in on this. Could there have been damage to the elevator?

 

 

Anything else I need to have checked out?

[WmInce]

Did you document the damages with photos?

 

Narratives from witnesses may also be helpful.

[Znurtdog]

That sucks! I hope you get flying again quickly. :mellow:

[opticsguy]

both the Airport and I got phots.

[opticsguy]

Update: Had the elevator removed and no damage was found. The stops on the elevator were set properly and weren't compromised. A fair amount of dirt was in the tail.

 

These are tough planes.

[sandpiper]

Sounds like it will come out alright but what was that guy thinking? Was he also a pilot? From my earliest days I was taught to point the tail away from hangars, airplanes or anything that could be affected.

 

But, then, I watch pilots frequently running up with the tail pointed at a hangar at this airport. That's even with a big sig that asks them not to do that.

 

Oblivious, but we all have our days.