Lightning strike damages control tower equipment; airport staff report radios, phones and fire alarm affected

An airport staff member reported that a lightning strike on Saturday struck the control tower and damaged antennas and electronic systems, knocking out radios, phones and portions of the fire-alarm system. The staff member said emergency measures restored limited communications but that the tower's primary radios and phone systems remain offline while contractors assess the damage.

The staff member told the board the strike "hit the antennas on top of the tower" and "took out the radios" and also affected the lighting controls on the airfield. The airport temporarily ran a direct cable to backup radios and staff manually turned airfield lighting back on while assessment work continues.

Why it matters: control tower radios and phone outages affect routine tower operations and require short-term workarounds and a repair plan to restore normal communications and safety systems.

The staff member said the airport has engaged contractors (identified in the meeting as Missiona contracting) to inspect the tower and provide repair estimates, and that the airport is tracking repair expenses while it checks its insurance coverage and deductible. The staff member said the extent of damage "is still being assessed" and that quotes and assessments are pending.

The board discussed concerns about whether the tower's lightning-protection system performed as intended; the staff member said the airport will pursue replacement of the tower's lightning protection and install additional lightning rods as part of repairs. The staff member also said the tower's elevator system was not affected and that a recent fire-department response found only burning or insulation damage around tower components rather than a structural fire.

Board members asked staff to follow up with the human-resources office and the city's risk manager to confirm an adjuster assignment from the insurance company; the board member who asked for that follow-up said if staff did not hear back by the next day they should send a reminder.

The report about the strike occurred during the airport manager's operations report; no formal action to allocate repair funds was taken at the meeting. The staff member said temporary communications were in place and that the airport would provide updates as repair quotes and insurance information become available.