Two aircraft that have hung inside The Leonardo since 2016 are being torn apart for scrap after a few prospective buyers expressed interest but could not cover the additional costs of removing them. Demolition crews began dismantling the floor-level Convair C-131 transport plane on Sept. 28, and the Soviet-built MiG-21 fighter jet is next, piece by piece, after the city pulled its second auction listing this month, having determined the jet could not be removed whole.
A Failed Sale Leads to the Scrapyard
The two planes were left behind after Salt Lake City terminated its lease with the museum, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. The aircraft had been the centerpiece of Flight, an exhibit that debuted at The Leonardo in 2016, and city staff say they identified early on that removing the planes would free up room for other uses. The city now plans to convert the former display space into administrative offices.
Before deciding to demolish the planes, the city tried to sell them, holding an open house and an online auction, per the same Tribune report. The open house drew zero attendees, and the Tribune reported that a few prospective buyers were interested but could not cover the additional costs of removing the aircraft. The MiG-21 was put back up for auction on Oct. 6, but the city later pulled it from the listing altogether.
Why the Jet Can't Just Be Lifted Out
Removing the MiG-21 in one piece turned out to be more complicated than it sounds. The Tribune reports that the project team determined a full removal wasn't possible, since pulling the jet out whole could compromise the building's structural integrity — the city lacks detailed information on how the plane was originally installed and suspended inside the museum. As a result, the MiG will be taken down piecemeal, with crews prioritizing the building's safety over preserving the aircraft's condition, the Tribune notes.
Once stripped from the museum, both planes' metal will be recycled, according to the Tribune. The MiG-21 was a former Polish Air Force aircraft and, per the same report, the most widely produced fighter jet of the Cold War era. The C-131 Samaritan, meanwhile, was a U.S. military transport plane built in 1954.
Getting the Planes In Was Its Own Ordeal
Installing the aircraft back in 2016 was a feat in itself. When the Flight exhibit opened, it featured the C-131 Samaritan and the Soviet-made MiG-21, which had flown in the Polish Air Force, according to a 2016 report from The Salt Lake Tribune's archives, with the MiG suspended high from the museum's ceiling. The C-131 was so large that part of The Leonardo's wall had to be removed just to get it inside, according to Salt Project, and its wingspan cleared the exhibit walls by only six inches on either side.
A Museum Already in Crisis
The planes' removal comes against the backdrop of deeper troubles at The Leonardo. The museum, which the city owns the building for, closed indefinitely in June for critical repairs with no set reopening date, according to Axios. That closure followed years of financial strain — the museum, which opened in 2011, had struggled financially for years, Axios reported separately, and the shutdown was attributed to mounting debts and neglected repairs to the city-owned building. A planned auction of several Leonardo exhibits was scheduled, postponed and ultimately canceled amid those same repair and financial woes, per Axios's reporting on the museum's broader struggles.
