PORTLAND, Maine — The winds brought into Maine by Tuesday night's storm were very strong. How strong were they? Strong enough to push a parked plane at the Portland International Jetport into a jet bridge.
A jet bridge is the walkway that passengers travel down to get on a plane.
Assistant Airport Director Zachary Sundquist said in a news release that at about 4:35 a.m. Wednesday high winds pushed a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737MAX8 airplane with no passengers or crew on it into the structure.
According to the assistant airport director, the left wing of the aircraft hit the jet bridge.
Portland Fire Department Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting units responded to the aircraft. The leading edge of the left wing impacted the jet bridge.
Southwest Airlines maintenance personnel are responding, and the airline company is sending an additional aircraft to PWM to accommodate passengers.
Winds were so high in other parts of the state that the National Weather Service station in Gray called it "hurricane force winds," reporting 92 MPH in Matinicus Rock and 95 MPH in Isle au Haut.