I took this picture when landing to pick up my plane. My plane was in the blue hangar in the back.
On January 21, 2026, meteorologists warned of a large-scale winter storm bearing down on much of the Midwest and southern states. The next day, I drove to work listening to updates about Winter Storm Fern (the name the Weather Channel gave to the storm). The dire predictions called for rain, wintry precipitation, snow, ice, and freezing temperatures in parts of the country that do not usually see severe winter weather. The fear across the southern states and further up the East Coast was that the rain occurring during the day would freeze on the roads overnight and then be covered again with sleet and ice.
part-time pilot, Lonnie Lucious, about
the hangar collapse.
As soon as I got to my office, the state police were announcing closures of the interstate, river bridges, and other rural roads. With that notice, I informed our employees to lock up and head home to wait out the storm. With so many of our employees living out of town and in rural areas, the closure of the interstate and many rural roads would imperil their ability to get home safely.
Luckily, for our area, Fern’s threat was worse than the reality. The same was not true just a few miles north of us in Louisiana and Arkansas, and east into Mississippi, Alabama, and the eastern seaboard. North Arkansas and Biloxi, Mississippi, may never look the same because of the Live Oak limbs giving way to the weight of the ice on the branches and toppling over. The total economic and emotional toll of the storm won’t be measured for years.
Sitting at home on Sunday in front of my fire and watching stories of the storm’s impact, I heard my phone chime indicating a new text message. My former flight instructor (and sometimes current commercial pilot of my plane) texted me a picture from Facebook of a destroyed hangar at Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport (KMEZ). Under the photograph, his message read: “Glad you went to Rose and not Crider.” The title of the Facebook post was from another pilot and said, “The paint shop in Mena, where I had my plane painted, just collapsed.”
No more than 1,500 feet to the east, my TBM 700 also sat in a Mena hangar awaiting new paint. As soon as I got the photo of the Crider collapse, I started calling and emailing Keith Rose at Rose Aircraft Services for proof of life of my TBM. I had no idea of the condition of any other hangars at the airport, and the only pictures online were those of the Crider hangar. Keith Rose wrote me back quickly and said, “Thanks for checking in. We are fine. Hope you are too. Working on your plane, actually, with a skeleton crew. I’m sorry about your friend’s plane; that big old hangar just collapsed.” I was thrilled that my plane was spared, but sad for Crider and all the other owners who had planes that were destroyed in the collapse. Luckily, no one was injured in the incident.
This was my first and only brush with a disaster that could have rendered my plane a total loss. But these kinds of incidents are not unusual. Think back a few years ago to the tornado in Nashville, Tennessee, that destroyed more than 90 planes at John Thune Airport. Or the monsoon at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona, destroying several World War II aircraft tied down on the field. Similar stories occur every year from weather-related events. We tuck our planes to bed on the ramp or in the hangar and feel that the risk of loss is now over. That is often not the case.
One thing I had not thought about before bringing the plane to Mena was to ask about their insurance coverage in the event of a loss. I did not check Rose’s limits, ask for copies of their insurance, or inquire whether they had any coverage exclusions, including an “act of God” exclusion. Likewise, I didn’t check my policy beforehand to determine coverage if the plane is damaged or destroyed while in someone else’s care.
Like most insurance, whether for your plane, car, or home, we rely on our agents to recommend the best insurance for each ownership experience. Every year, I get an email from my broker, a month or so after binding insurance, attaching my new policy and encouraging me to read it. This year, the email stated:
Attached you will find your aviation insurance policy… Please carefully read the policy in its entirety and pay close attention to the endorsements, as some may have changed. If you have any questions, please contact us immediately for further explanation.
Aviation insurance policy wordings are not standardized and may vary widely among companies. If you have had coverage in the past with another aviation insurance company, you will notice certain portions of this policy may be worded differently. Also, the terms and coverage offered may not be the same. While reading the entire policy, please pay particular attention to the policy wording regarding the approved pilots and approved uses.
Even after getting the email, I filed the policy away in its appropriate email folder. In reality, these policies are hard to read, they are boring, and they go on for twenty or thirty pages. There are pages of definitions, exclusions, endorsements, and riders. To navigate the coverages, you either must be in the insurance business or a lawyer litigating insurance issues.
When I had an engine issue in my Piper Mirage, forcing an emergency landing, I assumed my insurance company would pay for the engine overhaul. While flying along at seventeen thousand feet, my turbocharger shaft failed, causing the turbo fan to wobble and eventually detach. Consequently, shards of metal flowed through the engine into the prop governor and resulted in catastrophic engine and propeller hub failure. My insurance denied coverage at first, stating:
“The Aircraft Damage Coverage does not applyz
(S). to loss or damage due to wear, tear, abuse, deterioration, freezing, mechanical or electrical failure, hidden or latent defect, or any combination of the foregoing causes, unless such loss or damage is the direct result of other physical damage covered by this Policy; or.”
It wasn’t until I argued forcefully that I was not seeking coverage for the damaged Turbo, but for the physical damage it caused after its failure that the insurance agreed to pay. I argued that it was no different than a blown tire on the runway that results in a crash with damage to the airframe. The blown tire is not covered, but the resulting damage to the plane from the blown tire is covered. The insurance eventually settled, covering some but not all the repair costs.
I emailed my insurance agent, Sean Kerr, with CS&A insurance, with two questions after learning of the Crider Hangar collapse: (1) In the Mena case of the hangar collapse, would their insurance be primary? and (2) If not, would my insurance cover any damages to my plane? His short answer was that because the snow/ice storm was an “Act of God” and not a negligent act on behalf of the hangar owner, the shop insurance would likely have an exclusion. The result is that my insurance would be primary. “From a coverage standpoint, most aircraft hull policies provide an ‘All Risks of Direct Physical Loss or Damage’ coverage. This means the insurance accepts physical damage regardless of fault unless an exclusion applies.” Kerr specifically mentioned the occurrence at John Tune airport in 2020, noting that in that instance, it was the owner’s policies that paid out because it was an “Act of God” and not negligence on the part of the hangar owners or the FBOs on the field.
With every occurrence, whether it is from a hangar collapse or an in-flight emergency, the detailed policy language will control. There is an old saying that insurance companies are in the business of collecting premiums and not paying claims. That does not make insurance companies bad. Like any contract, the language controls the outcome, so it is critical that your aviation policy cover all aspects of your flying mission. Don’t ignore your agent’s email delivering the policy. Sit down and read it, and be sure it covers everything for your particular mission. If you fly for personal reasons and for work, consider whether the company needs coverage as well. Do you need workers’ compensation coverage if company employees fly with you? Do you leave the country in your plane and need special coverage for your destinations? The number of questions is endless because, as pilots, all our missions differ. Find an agent who has experience and will address all your personal issues.
In the end, the Rose Aircraft hangar did not collapse, and I did not have to worry about their coverage or mine. The paint job was completed satisfactorily (an article about that experience is forthcoming), and my rates remain unchanged for not having filed a claim. The process of reviewing my policy, considering the potential claim, turned into a good exercise as I prepare for my renewal in the fall.
