KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tornadoes that moved through the Kansas City area Tuesday night picked up debris and dropped it nearly 50 miles away at Kansas City International Airport forcing crews to temporarily shut down the airfield and runways.
“A tornado destroyed homes and businesses miles away and debris rained down onto the airport. Our crews had to clean it up in order to be safe,” a spokesperson for the airport tweeted at 12:20 a.m.
The airport and its airfield temporarily suspended service at 9 p.m. It remained closed until just after midnight.
Debris picked up on the airfield that caused our Operations staff to close the airport because Foreign Object Damage to aircraft can cause catastrophe. Pots, foam, wall panels, plant ID tags over millions of square feet. Presumed from tornado damage 47 miles away in Linwood, KS. pic.twitter.com/oOhYTs7F6H
— Kansas City International Airport (@KCIAirport) May 29, 2019
“Many apologies,” the airport tweeted about 40 minutes before reopening. “Thousands of pieces over millions of square feet. One piece in an engine can be catastrophic. Safety first.”
Debris included pots, foam, wall panels, plant ID tags all presumed from the tornado damage 47 miles away in Linwood, Kansas.
When crews checked parking lots at the airport around 10:20 p.m. there were no damaged vehicles.
“We are receiving questions from concerned vehicle owners about possible damage,” the airport added. “Crews are checking parking lots. There are no damaged vehicles reported thus far.”
Numerous flights out of terminal B were canceled. If you’re scheduled to fly anywhere Wednesday, be sure to check FLY KCI before heading to the airport.
