News

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.

Recent Headlines

9 hours ago in Entertainment

Prada serves up luxury fashion’s version of pasta pomodoro at Milan Fashion Week

Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons reimagine jeans-inspired basics in leather and technical fabrics for the latest Prada collection unveiled Sunday during MilanFashion Week, saying they wanted menswear looks for people on the street, not just fashion insiders.

10 hours ago in Entertainment, Trending

In Taylor Swift’s beach town, every clue becomes a wedding rumor

When a large tent appeared next door to Taylor Swift's Watch Hill estate this week, it didn't take long for speculation about the superstar's impending nuptials to ripple through the affluent New England seaside village — and the internet.

10 hours ago in Entertainment, Trending

‘Toy Story 5’ rakes in the biggest box-office debut of the year with a franchise-best $160 million

"Toy Story" still has a friend in moviegoers. The fifth installment in the Pixar series debuted with $160 million in domestic ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday, easily setting a new franchise record and notching the biggest opening weekend of the year.

10 hours ago in Entertainment, Music

Clive Davis, music industry starmaker, has died at 94

Clive Davis, the record company lawyer who became one of the music industry's most powerful figures, launching or resurrecting the careers of such superstars as Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana and Alicia Keys, has died, his family confirmed. He was 94.

10 hours ago in Sports, Trending

Lionel Messi becomes top scorer in World Cup history with two more goals for Argentina

Scoring goals and breaking records is what Lionel Messi does, and it's what he did again Monday at the World Cup. The Argentina captain, who many consider the greatest player of all time, scored two more World Cup goals on Monday in his team's 2-0 victory over Austria. That gave him a record total of 18 at the world's biggest tournament.