A resident of rue am Haff in Hamm had a strange surprise this Wednesday morning when he discovered part of the roof of his house on the ground. “There are two holes of around 1.50 m in the roof, one on each side,” notes Roger Schlechter, president of the Union of Local Interests of Hamm. According to the latter, the incident was linked to “the landing of a cargo plane this Wednesday morning, which caused turbulence. An air pocket tore off the tiles,” confides this veteran of cohabitation with Findel airport.
“Today there was no wind or storm, so it seems pretty clear that it’s plane-related. This is not the first time this has happened. Ten years ago, two roofs were affected. This is a phenomenon that can happen. It is linked to wind and turbulence. There is nothing to do, apart from prohibiting landings,” he jokes. Was the plane flying too low? “Not necessarily”, according to Roger Schlechter who specifies that an investigation has been opened by the Air Navigation Administration (ANA).
The Hamm Local Interests Union is represented on the airport commission, which allows it to interact regularly with the ANA and lux-Airport. “We have the opportunity to discuss the problems there. Particularly for night flights, after 11 p.m., we will exceed 3,000 compared to 2,500 last year,” adds Roger Schlechter. The phenomenon would have increased after the pandemic.
Who will now pay for the damaged roof? The owners can only file a complaint against X. “We contacted the ANA and lux-Airport services. An investigation will take place and normally, it is up to the company that managed this theft to pay. We think we have identified her. It’s a foreign cargo company. But it will be a hassle. It will be very long, with no doubt going to court. Ten years ago, it was the State which ended up covering the costs. Nobody wanted to pay,” recalls the president of the local interest union.
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