brian howard , 36 , of naperville has been charged with one felony count of destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities after he allegedly set a fire in the basement of an aurora faa facility , cut the feeds to the radar and damaged the communications system , forcing a ground stop at chicago 's o'hare and midway international airports , the fbi says .
hartsfield - jackson atlanta international airport had 70 cancellations
the fbi charged howard , a resident of naperville , illinois , with one count of destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities , a felony .
investigators say howard managed to do extensive damage to the host computer , as well as the lines to radar in the facility .
the fire started at about 5:40 a.m. friday and caused the evacuation of the air traffic control center in aurora , illinois , which controls flights in several midwest states .
 
then , 36 - year - old brian howard apparently started the fire in the control center basement , the affidavit said .
howard was taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries .