Biden plane causes damage at Westhampton Beach airport
A small private plane, right, parked nearby was lifted a few feet into the air by the jet wash from Biden’s plane, left, as it taxied to take off from Francis S. Gabreski Airport, said Air Force spokeswoman Maj. Michelle Lai. (File / Aug. 11, 2010) Credit: AP / James Carbone
A blast of air from Air Force Two's engines caused a small plane to flip and sustain wing damage Wednesday as Vice President Joseph Biden's jet prepared to depart Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
About 11 a.m., Biden's plane, a Boeing 757, was on a ramp and began a turn toward a runway when "jet blast" caused a Piper PA-18 to flip over. The Piper was parked, tied to the ground and sustained left wing damage, said Jim Peters, an FAA spokesman.
"We'll go out tomorrow and look at the damage," Peters said Wednesday, adding that investigators from the FAA's Farmingdale office would go to Westhampton Beach.
There were no injuries and Biden's 757 took off with those on board apparently unaware of what had happened.
Biden was returning to Washington from vacation, his office said.
Last week, two New York City police motorcycles got into a minor accident while escorting Biden to Kennedy Airport, but Biden's vehicle was not involved and no officers were seriously hurt.
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Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
