Wind Damages 5 Jetliners In Miami

A windstorm with gusts up to 61 mph damaged five jetliners parked at gates Monday at Miami International Airport.

No one was injured and passengers were scheduled on other flights.

A Tower Air 747 was spun sideways and pushed into a jetway, damaging two engines, and a catering truck elevator toppled onto the wing of a TWA 727.

“What it caused our aircraft to do was pull away from the gate and turn around 90 degrees,” said Tower Air chairman Morris Nachtomi.

LTU, Cayman and Varig jets also were slightly damaged, airport spokesman Marc Henderson said. So were eight gates, which will be out of service until at least today, he said.

A fuel truck was punctured and leaked a small amount of fuel when a baggage cart was blown against it, he said.

The midafternoon gusts were produced by a series of coastal thunderstorms.