Yes, you read that right. Sunday night a huge block of ice fell from a passing airplane and onto a Whittier woman’s Ford Escort. It did quite a bit of damage too. It left cracks in the windshield and major dents on the hood. It was damn lucky that it didn’t her. No telling what “could” have happened. Grace Caiazza is the owner of the vehicle. It happened in the 8400 block of Vicki Drive. The cost of the damage is around $2000. She is now trying to find that airline. Her and her daughter were at home and indoors (thankfully) when they heard a loud noise. They both thought it was a car crash. It was a car crash alright, but not your normal car crash. The woman filed a complaint with the FAA. The FAA is looking into the incident. This is not the first time this happened. In 1984, her and her husband were living in the same house and the same thing happened, but the ice just hit the backyard and went unreported. In 2008, A Pico Rivera woman experienced a block of ice weighing 80-100 pounds come crashing down on her house, smashing rafters and causing a 3 foot hole in the roof. Montebello, Pico Rivera, and Whittier are on a flight path to LAX. It happens when a small leak in the lavatory or galley causes ice build-up. When the plane approaches closer to earth, warm air causes the ice to melt and fall off. It is very fortunate that nobody has been hurt.
picture courtesy of whittier daily news
September 6th, 2011 at 5:30 am
These accounts are so true. On September 5,2011 my daughter and I were doing chores on our farm when a block of ice the size of a basketball ball came whizzing down from the sky. I just so happend to hear a noise coming from above sounding as if a plastic bag was caught in the wind. As I looked up I saw this chunk of ice coming and it was coming fast,as it only landed within approx. 5-8 ft from us chunks the sizes ranging from golf ball size to soft ball sizes exploded outward from the impact. Fortunate we were not hit by this huge chunk nor the chunks that were blasted outwards. I would guesstimate that this ice was prob. the size of 2 basketballs or a huge watermelon.It was clear and white in color and made a fairly deep impression at site of impact. My daughter was afraid to be outside the rest of the evening. Wondering where it came from I immediately started to observe the sky. I did notice a plane high above that had a red belly but was unsure of where it truly came from. So with that said no one was injured except for minimal ground damage and a bush that had some limbs shattered. A true phenom or a message from God. I dont know but I do feel blessed that we are ok from this mystery.
Cameron,NC (Johnsonville Area-Marks Rd.)