Sinkhole damages National Corvette Museum
Not a rare phenomenon in the US, these sorts of sinkhole collapses can and do happen in Kentucky, according to experts. The sinkhole opened up in the 'Skydome', a circular building within the museum complex identified by a cone-shaped yellow exterior and central red spike.
According to a release from the NCM, the floor started shifting at around 5:30am local time, when motion detector alarms in the museum started going off. The sinkhole, which measured 40-foot (12.2 metre) wide and 25 - 30 feet (7.6 - 9.1 metres) deep was discovered at 5:44am. No-one was in the museum at the time, so no injuries were reported.
Eight Corvettes fell into the hole, suffering varying degrees of damage. The affected vehicles were mostly rare and one-off cars, including the 1 millionth production Corvette, 1.5 millionth Corvette and PPG pace car, amongst others. The full damage tally is as follows:
Loan vehicles from General Motors -
-1993 ZR-1 Spyder
-2009 ZR-1 "Blue Devil"
Vehicles owned by the National Corvette Museum -
-1962 Black Corvette
-1984 PPG Pace Car
-1992 White 1 Millionth Corvette
-1993 Ruby Red 40th Anniversary Corvette
-2001 Mallett Hammer Z06 Corvette
-2009 White 1.5 Millionth Corvette
The NCM pointed out that none of the cars affected were on loan from individuals. A structural engineer was assessing the damage and stability of the surrounding areas at time of posting.
Built in 1994, the Skydome was set to celebrate its 20th Anniversary this year. After initially declaring the rest of the facility would remain open, NCM officials decided to close the entire complex later that same day until a thorough safety evaluation can be made.
The NCM is set to host a number of events this year, including the National Corvette Caravan in August, so officials are hoping to get the Skydome repaired and reopened as soon as possible.
Images: courtesy of National Corvette Museum
