9 Abandoned Airports And The Tragic Stories Behind Them

Published November 7, 2021
Updated November 10, 2021

Tonopah Abandoned Airfield, Nevada

Tonopah Abandoned Airport

Wikimedia CommonsThis abandoned airport was briefly home an airforce bakery.

The military airfield at Tonopah, Nevada has had many lives. Shortly after it was built in 1940, over 2,000 enlisted men of the 4th Air Force were housed there. The airfield’s on-site barracks, hospital, and mess halls were soon full and bustling with nervous energies.

By 1945, the number of people housed at Tonopah rose to 5,000, including civilians, but problems increased as well. The 6,000-foot elevation seemed to be causing issues, as did design flaws in some of the fighter planes. Pilots began crashing at an unacceptable rate.

Tonopah Airport Nevada

Wikimedia Commons

Instead of closing, Tonopah changed focus. It became a high-altitude bomber training facility and underwent a revamp in the process. The government installed new water storage tanks, runway extensions — even a post exchange complete with a bakery that became the largest in the 4th Air Force.

At one point, it sold an average of 400 dozen donuts per day. But baked goods aside, near the end of World War II, the war department was looking to cut manpower at the airfield.

And so on Aug. 23, 1945, the 4th Air Force put Tonopah on inactive status. All that remains today of the once-flourishing airbase are four hangars in varying states of disrepair. If you take a good whiff, maybe you could still smell the donuts.

author
Erin Kelly
author
An All That's Interesting writer since 2013, Erin Kelly focuses on historic places, natural wonders, environmental issues, and the world of science. Her work has also been featured in Smithsonian and she's designed several book covers in her career as a graphic artist.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.