Dramatic moment Tennessee air bridge weighing several tons breaks loose in tornado-force storm winds and it smashes into cars before hitting a terminal
- The shocking incident took place at Memphis International Airport Monday
- Surveillance cameras caught the jet bridge as it was unmoored from the gate
- The jet bridge could be seen sliding across the tarmac, crushing parked vehicles
- The jet bridge then comes to a stop as it collides with the terminal building
A Tennessee airport’s surveillance cameras caught the terrifying moment when high winds caused a jet bridge to slide across the tarmac, slamming into vehicles, before hitting the side of a terminal.
The dramatic footage was captured at Tennessee’s Memphis International Airport’s Gate A27, as the city was hammered by a tornado-force storm on Monday.
‘That’s a jet bridge weighing several *tons* being blown into the side of A concourse. Fortunately, no one was injured in this incident,’ the airport wrote in a tweet Thursday, accompanying the black and white surveillance video.
Memphis International Airport tweeted out footage of the moment when high winds caused a jet bridge to unmoor during Monday’s storm. The jet bridge is seen here hitting parked cars
The jet bridge eventually came to a stop when it hit the side of the terminal building
The airport tweeted out the video, noting that the jet bridge weighed several tons
The video starts off with a static scene, in which the jet bridge in question can be seen sitting stationary at the far left of the video. Heavy rains then blur out the image as they obscure the camera. But, seconds later, the picture clears up – just in time for viewers to see the now unmoored jet bridge sliding across the tarmac.
As it arcs towards the camera, the jet bridge hits and crushes several parked vehicles in its path before coming to a stop against the side of the terminal building.
Airport officials said that the incident left the jet bridge irreparably damaged and that the gate will have to be closed for several weeks as officials seek out a short and long-term solution for replacing the jet bridge.
‘This is the first instance I can remember during my time at the airport of a jet bridge being damaged to this extent by weather,’ Memphis airport spokesperson Glen Thomas told WREG.
Airport officials said the jet bridge was damaged beyond repair during the incident and that the gate will have to be closed down until a replacement for the jet bridge can be obtained
Airport officials said it was the first time they had seen a jet bridge so damaged by storm activity. The jet bridge that was damaged is similar to the one shown here (file image)
Other storm-induced damage at the airport include blown-out windows on the terminal’s mezzanine level.
Airport officials told WMC5 that scaffolding had caused the glass to break.
The broken glass has been removed and the windows boarded up so that passengers can safely traverse the concourse, but airport officials suspect that it will take weeks to get the replacement windows custom made and installed.
Earlier in the day, during the morning’s tornado warning, airport officials said that passengers were evacuated from the concourses into ticketing area restrooms as a safety precaution.
Passengers were also forced to get off their planes, leaving their luggage on board, Fox 13 reported.