I agree, they should never have left the station since they didnt know exactly how much damage took place. All of the critical tiles(black ones I believe) need to be in place. Thats the reason they dont come down through rain and storm clouds, b/c rain can damage the tiles pretty easily. They are extremely delicate, so for something to hit the wing and them come down without an exstensive check sucks.
Of course, alot of this is still speculation, so only time will tell how this unfolds.