Westbury control tower evacuation delays flights

Reports of a mysterious odor at the Westbury air traffic control center that guides planes into and out of the metropolitan-area airports forced the evacuation of the building for about an hour Wednesday evening and delayed air travelers.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the report of an odor of gas or diesel fuel was made at about 6:50 p.m. Most personnel were evacuated and the Westbury Fire Department was immediately contacted, the agency said.

During the evacuation, Peters said, about 25 controllers volunteered to remain at their stations to ensure the safety of aircraft already in the air in New York airspace.

However, firefighters and technicians found no sign of a leak and "never identified any smell or odor or anything else," FAA spokesman Jim Peters said. The control center was fully staffed again by 7:40 p.m.

The FAA kept planes on the ground and held them at gates during the incident, delaying departures. Holds were also put on flights bound for the metro area, Peters said, with aircraft placed into holding patterns near Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and New York.

The delays affected flights at Kennedy, LaGuardia, Newark, Teterboro, White Plains and Stewart near Middletown.

Some smaller airports were also affected, Peters said.