Empire Crash
Saturday,
July 28, 1945
On a foggy morning Lt. Colonel William Smith is flying a U.S. Army B-25 bomber through New York City. He's on his way to Newark Airport, but gets lost.
Lt Smith radios La Guardia airport. He asks for a weather report. Because of the poor visibility they advise him to land immediately.
'I think I can make it to Newark,' he says. "But the fog is bad. From where I'm sitting, I can't see the top of the Empire State Building. I'll fly lower to get a better view.'
It's a fatal mistake. As Colonel Smith descends he sees the skyscrapers of Manhattan. He swerves to miss them but he is now heading for the Empire State Building. Again he tries to get the bomber to climb and twist away.
But it's too late.
Lucky Break
At 9.48 an elevator
operator is working on the 75th floor of the
Empire State Building 1945. It's been a busy
morning and he needs a
cigarette. He steps out of his
elevator for a smoke.
Seconds later Colonel Smith's plane crashed into the
79th floor.
The impact cut the cables of the empty elevator. The
operator watched as it crashed to the ground. Inside
were two women
Miraculously, the women survived. 14 people died in the
crash and the fire that followed.
