The old air traffic control tower went down in a cloud of dust in a demolition early Monday morning at Indianapolis International Airport.

Explosives were used to bring the tower down. A new tower has gone up at the airport that is more than twice the height of the old tower.

The blast was carefully planned for 1:15 a.m. Monday, in between flights. A small explosion at the base made the tower go down in just a few seconds.

The old tower, which opened in 1972, stood at about 140 feet tall. The new tower stands at 340 feet tall. The old tower closed in April when the new one opened.

Crews that orchestrated the destruction of the old tower said it was done in a way similar to cutting down a tree.

"It's exactly like that, only it's concrete instead of wood," said Marc Bloomfield, project executive. "It's pretty much the same principle. We just took that support out and it fell over."

The new tower is about a mile west of the old tower, next to the construction of the new Midfield Terminal, which is scheduled to open in 2008.