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FACT BRIEF

Did hurricane hunters 'abandon their mission' during Ida because 'windows on their plane began cracking'?

By Marlo Lee
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NO

An aircraft used by the Air Force Reserve's hurricane hunters had a single "spider" crack in its windshield on August 28, 2021, a day before Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana. According to Air Force Reserve Capt. Will Simmons, who was on that aircraft, the crew cut short the August 28, 2021, mission once they noticed the crack.

The window pane was replaced and the crew was able to go out again on August 29, 2021, when the aircraft passed through the eye of the hurricane twice with no issues.

Contrary to a social media post, the mission of monitoring and tracking Ida was not abandoned because "windows on their plane began cracking!!!"

A spokesperson for the hurricane hunters of the Air Force's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron said wind speeds within Hurricane Ida were not a factor in the windshield crack.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
403rd Wing, US Air Force 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron 'Hurricane Hunters'
WLOX (Biloxi, MS) Capt. Will Simmons recounts cracked windshield during Hurricane Hunter flight into Ida
Gray Television USAF Navigator: 'We’re flying in a hostile environment'
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.