Two days before the start of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2022, a thunderstorm ripped through the grounds, causing some damage, but fortunately no injuries.
The thunderstorm, part of line of storms across Wisconsin, hit the AirVenture grounds at around 6:15 p.m. on Saturday, July 23.
According to EAA officials, there were no reports of injuries.
“Several people sheltered at the EAA Aviation Museum during the storm, otherwise, people sheltered in place as they saw fit,” EAA spokesman Dick Knapinski reported.
“We do have reports of some trees and branches down in the drive-in campgrounds. There was some property and vehicle damage from falling branches,” he added.
While there were reports of some aircraft on Boeing Plaza being damaged, “other aircraft parked on the field seem to have weathered the storm well,” he said. “That is a credit to the aircraft owners securing their airplanes after arriving here. One EAA-owned aircraft was flipped onto its nose near the EAA museum despite being well-tied down.”
There was some damage to the main gate of the AirVenture grounds due to the wind, he continued. Several smaller exhibit tents were blown down.
“Thanks to the National Weather Service presence on the grounds, EAA was able to get early notification of the storm’s path and intensity, and make the appropriate announcements in advance of the storm front’s arrival,” he said. “Also, fortunately there was no hail in the storm that could have caused additional damage.”