An early afternoon storm on Tuesday caused heavy damage to the roof of the rotunda at the Chattanooga Airport.
Much of the metal covering of the rotunda was ripped off.
Pieces of metal and tar paper fell near where passengers depart, but apparently no one was injured.
The storm struck shortly before 2 p.m. with heavy rain and straight-line winds.
Water began pouring into the rotunda through several light fixtures. A number of buckets were placed to catch the water.
Crews were cleaning up debris on the runway.
A flight from Dallas that had been scheduled to land during the storm was diverted to Nashville.
A passenger on that flight said the plane arrived in Chattanooga at the height of the storm. "It was very scary," she said.
Terry Hart, airport president, said, "Fortunately we have not heard of any injuries."
He said he was in a nearby engineer's office when the storm struck, and he arrived at the terminal to see the extensive damage to the copper sheathing.
He said a roofing crew was on the way to begin repairs.
Later in the afternoon, a small plane went off the runway at the Chattanooga Airport. The emergency landing at the airport isn't connected to the storm damage. The plane could not get its landing gear to come down and made a crash landing.
Emergency vehicles were around the plane.
Said to be on board were a couple from Dayton and a baby. All three are said to be okay.
Officials said, “Upon approach to the Chattanooga Airport, a small aircraft had a landing gear issue this afternoon. During landing, the plane ultimately came to a stop in a grassy area alongside the runway. Everyone onboard is safe and was not injured. Due to this incident, the airport has experienced some delays. As always, we remind passengers to check with your airline before traveling.”