A resident of Beek, the Netherlands, was left stunned on Monday evening after a low-flying Turkish Cargo Boeing 777 (reg. TC-LJL) arriving from Miami blew hundreds of roof tiles off his property located near Maastricht Aachen airport. Peter Op ’t Veld said he heard “a huge amount of noise” before discovering his courtyard covered in shattered tiles and debris.
An estimated 200 to 300 roof tiles were lifted from the shed roof, leaving several holes and making the structure unsafe to enter. “The tiles that are still on the roof are loose. If I really need something from the shed, I go in wearing a helmet,” Op ’t Veld said.
According to Maastricht Airport, such incidents occur 10 to 15 times a year, caused by strong air vortices generated by aircraft engines during low-altitude overflights. The airport confirmed receiving the resident’s report and dispatched a roofer immediately, though repairs were not possible in the dark and rain. A second roofer visited on Tuesday but was unable to carry out repairs because of the height and instability of the roof.
Ironically, Op ’t Veld is participating in a research project on aircraft-induced vortices, with measuring equipment installed on his roof since the summer.
After reviewing flight data, the resident learned that the Turkish Airlines cargo plane in question made two landing attempts, flying about 400 feet lower on the second approach—directly over his home.
Airport representatives say they will work with the homeowner to assess and resolve the damage, but as of Tuesday morning, the shed roof remains punctured and hazardous.
Source: L1 Nieuws, Flightradar24