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Storms damage planes, hangars at Springfield airport following storms

Storms damage planes, hangars at Springfield airport following storms

Photo: WAND News


Springfield, IL (WAND) – Strong storms late Wednesday night caused significant damage to the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield.

WAND News viewer photos showed several small planes thrown into fences. Another image showed a plane without any wings or a tail.

Several hangars appeared to have been damaged with walls and roofs torn away. Mike George, the owner of several portable metal buildings that were destroyed, was holding storage next to the Air Combat Museum, which he owns.

“[The trailers] were heavy, but they were installed with those big spikes that they do for those big tents at events, and it just yanked them out,” George said. “That trailer is about 15K, the furniture we kept from my other business was about 15K, that trailer is 5K, the buildings were worth 60K, and then it’s going to cost me about 20k or more to demolish the buildings.”

Twisted metal was also strewn across the area.

There have been no reports of injuries.

The nearby Air National Guard did not report any damage but debris from the main airport was on their property.

Strong storms moved through Central Illinois late Wednesday and early Thursday morning.

It’s not clear if the damage in Springfield is from a tornado or strong winds. Several tornado warnings had been issued across the area. The National Weather Service in Lincoln will survey damage to later determine the cause. Storm surveys will not take place Thursday due to another round of potential severe weather in the area, according to NWS.

According to the airport’s website, the damage at the airport has not impacted flights. Two American Airlines flights expected to arrive Friday were still schedule and two outbound flights also appeared unaffected.

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