Jet's wheel breaks through old tarmac
A business jet was being towed across an old section of tarmac at the McMinnville Airport Friday when one of the wheels broke through the pavement and sank into a 12-inch, water-filled hole.
The silver, black and gold Embraer Phenom 300 is owned by Alphacraft Air LLC of Los Angeles. It arrived in McMinnville Thursday afternoon from Van Nuys.
It won't be leaving for awhile: the landing gear and entire craft will need to be inspected before it can fly again, according to an airplane mover who was preparing to lift the plane from the hole.
The plane was not under its own power, but being slowly moved by a tug when the minor accident occurred. It had just left the taxiway and rolled onto the old tarmac when the pavement gave way.
The site is close to the fixed-base operation and other buildings at the airport. It is not close to the runway areas that were redone last year.
As the plane sat tilted on the tarmac, obvious damage was visible on the door that covers the retracted landing gear. The left wing dipped toward the pavement, but hadn't made contact and didn't appear damaged.
The aircraft mover estimated that a Phenom 300 weighs about 17,600 pounds during a normal takeoff. This one weighs less, he said, because its fuel tanks aren't full.
The jet typically is flown by two pilots and carries up to seven passengers.
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