February 03, New Orleans, La. / BAC Hawker

At 08:50 central time, a British Aerospace HS 125-700A Hawker was substantially damaged when its left wing distorted during a normal descent into New Orleans. No one was injured. The pilot said they were flying at 4,000 feet over Lake Pontchartrain when they heard a bang. The pilots thought that they had experienced a bird strike and asked a mechanic on board to look at the wings. The mechanic reported to the flight crew that the left wing skin and fence were distorted. Post-flight examination revealed that the left wings fuel vent was blocked with duct tape and the wet wing fuel tank had collapsed.