Seven Piper PA-28-181 Archers In The Hangar
Posted by Clinton McJenkin on Jan 16th 2024
Not too long ago, you may have heard about a "microburst" that struck an airport, Falcon Field, in Arizona. It was a big deal; it made the national news at the time. Once the dust settled, BAS mobilized and made a concerted effort to salvage as much as we could from this crazy little weather phenomenon.
The first of those aircraft have arrived at our headquarters in Colorado. As the aircraft started to arrive in Greeley, we had our own winter weather event going on. So, we have moved all seven Piper PA-28-181 Archer fuselages into the disassembly hangar and out of the Colorado winter storm and promptly removed the avionics and electronics for safe keeping.
What Is A Microburst?
According to this great article from The Arizona Republic by Laura Daniella Sepulveda, posted on AZCentral.com (link), a microbusrt is explained...
"In a nutshell, this phenomenon is a column of speeding air expulsed over a small area that occurs when a pocket of cold air develops inside a thunderstorm.
Colder air is more dense. When that pocket of air is concentrated enough, it becomes heavier than the air around it, making it drop like a bomb; usually over an area smaller than 2.5 miles in diameter.
According to the weather service, microbursts can generate winds of up to 150 mph and cause more damage to the surface than a tornado, and in some cases, they can be life-threatening."
After some reading, I learned that microbursts typically last 5 to 20 minutes with high winds that can linger for up to an hour. And the winds are the most dangerous part of a microburst. This leads us to the totaled aircraft in our hangar, from wind damage instead of mechanical failure or pilot error.
The Falcon Field Microburst
This particular weather event made national news because it wrecked a small airport. Here are some links to news stories...
AVWeb - Storm Wrecks Aircraft, Buildings At Mesa Airport
Flying Magazine - Photos: Arizona Storm Destroys Dozens of Airplanes
Fox10 - WWII-era planes damaged in high monsoon winds that swept through Mesa's Falcon Field
12News - 20+ aircraft were overturned or damaged by Tuesday night's monsoon storm. See the photos
The Archer Inventroy
We were able to acquire quite a few airplanes from this event. The first group to go through the disassembly hangar are the seven Piper PA-28-181 Archer aircraft. These units come equipped with Garmin G1000 systems and Aspen EFD 1000 units. Even though some of these aircraft are more damaged than others, the quantity of high-quality PA-28 parts that we are recovering is significant. The interiors are in great shape. The instrument panels are laser cut and will be removed in great condition. The control wheels and other electronic and interior components are all in great condition. We will have a good supply of doors, landing gear components, rudders, engine mounts, spinners, propellers, and much more. We expect to have a well-stocked PA-28 inventory as these units move through the disassembly shop.
The Piper PA-28-181 was produced as a variant of the original PA-28 Cherokee after Piper emerged from Bankruptcy in 1995. Today, the PA-28 is produced in five variations - The Archer TX, LX, DX, DLX, and the Pilot 100i. The original Piper PA-28, the Cherokee Cruiser or PA-28-140, was certified for flight in 1964. The original Piper Archer - PA-28-180 - was certified in 1972, with the Archer II in 1975 and the Archer III certified in 1994.
Here is a link to some great history of the Piper PA-28 series of airplanes - click here
We expect to have a fantastic list of parts from these Archers, including...
• Garmin G1000 Systems
• Aspen EFD 1000
• Landing Gear Parts
• Interior Components
• Rudders
• Baggage Doors
• Cabin Doors
• Control Wheels
• Spinners
• Propellers
• Engine Mounts
• And more
We do have all of the wings as well. We will get pictures of the wings posted as soon as possible, weather permitting. If you are interested in any of the items off this aircraft please give us a call or send us a message. We would love to help you find what you need.
Phone: 970-313-4823
Email: sales@baspartsales.com
or Chat with us on our website
Clinton McJenkin
Sales & Marketing Director
BAS Part Sales
If you need additional pictures or have any questions, let us know we are here to help.
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