A construction worker was in critical condition Wednesday and another was stable after a hangar wall collapsed at the Paulding Northwest Atlanta Airport, according to a county Fire Department spokeswoman.
The collapse, just after noon, was blamed on wind, according to spokeswoman Mary Ann Phipps. The hangar was under construction, she said.
The victim in critical condition was taken to Wellstar Paulding Hospital in Dallas, and the other worker went to WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta. Their identities were not provided.
The hangar is the second being built at the Paulding airport, which is 30 miles northwest of Atlanta and six miles west of downtown Dallas. It opened in November 2008 on U.S. 278 (Rockmart Highway).
Airport Manager Blake Swafford said 8 to 10 workers were at the site at the time of the incident. He said officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were en route to the airport.
Swafford said he could not confirm that wind was the cause of the collapse but that due to the airport’s high elevation, there tends to be more wind than at other local airports.
The airport manager said 24 aircraft are based at Paulding Northwest. He said the incident would not affect airport operations.
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