An estimated one dozen aircraft and 18 hangars are believed to be a total loss after a deadly tornado struck the Danville-Boyle County Airport in Kentucky early Saturday morning, according to reports.
The airport, located about 40 miles south of Lexington, Kentucky, was along the path of a string of powerful thunderstorms that spawned more than 30 tornadoes across six states, according to the National Weather Service.
NEW: @NOAA‘s #GOES16?️ tracked the fast-moving #severe thunderstorms that produced a devastating #TornadoOutbreak overnight. More than 30 #tornadoes were reported across 6 states. Kentucky’s governor called it “the most severe and deadly tornado event in Kentucky history.” #KYwx pic.twitter.com/wmZplFUP0j
— NOAA Satellites – Public Affairs (@NOAASatellitePA) December 11, 2021
“We come with heavy news this morning,” the airport said, via its Facebook page Saturday morning. “Unfortunately the airport was hit by a tornado at approximately 4:00AM this morning. 3 of our T-Hangars are leveled. Luckily no one was injured.”
The airport posted photos of flipped aircraft and building debris, mangled in heaps of broken, crumpled metal.
The scene driving into Danville-Boyle County airport after #severewx overnight. We count at least 3 small planes that appear to be damaged/ destroyed. pic.twitter.com/zyrx6DqRTV
— Kristen Edwards (@kedwards_tv) December 11, 2021
“It’s really disheartening you know you put your heart and soul into this airport, and it becomes almost like your child and especially when you have an aircraft here that’s mangled up in all this rubble,” Nick Barker, operations manager at the Danville-Boyle County Airport, told local station WKYT.
Stretching more than 200 miles long, the storm was the longest tornado track on record and the largest in Kentucky history, Gov. Andy Beshear said Saturday.
As of Saturday evening, at least 70 people in Kentucky were believed to have died in the storm, the New York Times reported.
