Truck Hits Parked Plane At Warsaw Airport
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Luckily, a truck and an airplane were both on the ground Tuesday night when a collision occurred at Warsaw Municipal Airport.
The unoccupied airplane was parked on the runway approach at the airport when it was struck by a United Parcel Service truck.
The Warsaw Police Department estimated the damage to the plane at $25,000-$50,000, which the investigating officer said was a modest estimate of the damage.
Mark R. Wegner, 42, of Sturgis, Mich., was the driver of the UPS truck. He told police he was driving around the north end of the parked airplanes at the airport and paying attention to driving his truck between two planes.
Police reported Wegner was watching the rear of one plane and the wing of another when his truck struck the wing of the first plane.
The damaged airplane belongs to OMCO Equipment Co., Wilmington, Del. An airport official said OMCO is a holding company that leases airplanes to other corporations. The plane was operated by Ohio Molding Co., which conducts business with a local industry.
The airport official said that two cargo planes hired by UPS come in every night and pick up packages brought in by the trucks. The Warsaw airport is a distribution point for cargo trucked in from Bourbon then transported by airplane.
Police said that Wegner called his supervisor and airport authorities, who tried to contact the owners of the damaged aircraft. But, they got no answer so the UPS supervisor left a note on the airplane with his pager number. The investigating officer said the note said the UPS truck hit the plane and they were "sorry."
The airport official said they are taking safety steps to ensure a similar accident does not happen. She said the airport is not well-equipped to manage large cargo planes. The incident was just an accident, she said, and after the changes, she doesn't think it will happen again.
The airport often has airplanes that are tied down on the ramp, the airport official said, with the number of planes changing daily. The planes owned by local companies and individuals are based in hangars, she said. [[In-content Ad]]
Luckily, a truck and an airplane were both on the ground Tuesday night when a collision occurred at Warsaw Municipal Airport.
The unoccupied airplane was parked on the runway approach at the airport when it was struck by a United Parcel Service truck.
The Warsaw Police Department estimated the damage to the plane at $25,000-$50,000, which the investigating officer said was a modest estimate of the damage.
Mark R. Wegner, 42, of Sturgis, Mich., was the driver of the UPS truck. He told police he was driving around the north end of the parked airplanes at the airport and paying attention to driving his truck between two planes.
Police reported Wegner was watching the rear of one plane and the wing of another when his truck struck the wing of the first plane.
The damaged airplane belongs to OMCO Equipment Co., Wilmington, Del. An airport official said OMCO is a holding company that leases airplanes to other corporations. The plane was operated by Ohio Molding Co., which conducts business with a local industry.
The airport official said that two cargo planes hired by UPS come in every night and pick up packages brought in by the trucks. The Warsaw airport is a distribution point for cargo trucked in from Bourbon then transported by airplane.
Police said that Wegner called his supervisor and airport authorities, who tried to contact the owners of the damaged aircraft. But, they got no answer so the UPS supervisor left a note on the airplane with his pager number. The investigating officer said the note said the UPS truck hit the plane and they were "sorry."
The airport official said they are taking safety steps to ensure a similar accident does not happen. She said the airport is not well-equipped to manage large cargo planes. The incident was just an accident, she said, and after the changes, she doesn't think it will happen again.
The airport often has airplanes that are tied down on the ramp, the airport official said, with the number of planes changing daily. The planes owned by local companies and individuals are based in hangars, she said. [[In-content Ad]]