Nebraska Airport Raked by Tornado

Aircraft owners and operators at Eppley Airfield (KOMA) in Omaha, Nebraska, continue to sift through the rubble after a tornado on April 26 destroyed four hangars containing 32 general aviation aircraft, including a Cirrus Vision Jet. No injuries were reported and the airport’s basic infrastructure—including its passenger terminal—was unscathed. It reopened within an hour.

Aircraft management and private lift provider Jet Linx suffered damage to its brand-new complex. Company CEO Brent Wouters told BJT that while its south hangar saw only minor damage to its metal siding, the other 30,000-sq-ft hangar took a direct hit that stitched an opening in the roof, sheared bolts and welds, and twisted steel beams, rendering it unsafe for occupation.

Wouters added that it is undetermined if the hangar can be repaired or will require replacement. Five business aircraft in it at the time—including four Cessna Citations (one Excel,  two Sovereigns, and one Latitude) and a Pilatus PC-12—suffered minor damage and were able to be removed from the hangar for evaluation and repair. The facility’s private terminal had its land and airside doors blown out but, aside from that, suffered little other damage, and Jet Linx hopes to have it restored within days.

Of the two FBOs on the field, Atlantic Aviation and Signature Aviation each had minor to moderate damage to a hangar but reported minimal impact on their operations. According to an airport spokesperson, access to the GA area on the field is still restricted to customers and employees of the affected operators to permit recovery and clean-up operations.