who died in the empire state building plane crash

In addition to the three men in the bomber, there were 11 fatalities in the building. Looking out the bombers cockpit windows, all Smith could see below was a thick, gray blanket. It is still the biggest major fire to have ever been brought under control at such a height. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. One of the those injured was Elevator operator Betty Lou Oliver, who was working on the 80th floor when the plane struck. The crash triggered a brief panic, launched several investigations and drew both praise and condemnation of the Citys feisty Mayor, Fiorello La Guardia. But Smith was insistent. The left wing was sheared off and sailed down into Madison Avenue, a block away. Massachusetts, NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Tuesday marked the 70th anniversary of a horrific incident, in which a small military plane crashed into the Empire State Building and left 19 people dead. An employee inside the building, Doris Pope, recalled That day, as we were getting ready to take our coffee break, we heard this terrible noise, and the building started to shake. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. I kept calling to him, Come on, Joe! Although there are more fun ways to end up in the Guinness Book of Records, Bettys name was added for the unlikely feat of longest survived elevator fall; a record she still holds today. Seeing her rescuer in the dim light of the elevator car, she murmured, Thank God the Navys here! hide caption. Empire State Building | Height, Construction, History, & Facts It was an incredible escape but what became of Betty Lou Oliver? Offices; charred bodies on desk in background. I was just grateful to be alive.". As well as claiming the lives of 14 people, the Empire State Building crash caused one million dollars worth of damage ($13 million today) including the destruction of a nearby penthouse art studio. How The Empire State Building Survived A Plane Crash - YouTube On July 28, 1945, Betty arrived at the Empire State Building where she worked as an elevator attendant. The other engine snapped an elevator cable while at least one woman was riding in the elevator car. Tagged: Empire State Building, Aviation disasters, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, Skyscrapers, Find out more about the NYC Department of Records at nyc.gov/records. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Mayor LaGuardia Collection, NYC Municipal Archives. After I crawled out, we took her by the arms and led her through the empty office into a corridor that led us to a stairway., The trio descended about 30 floors until they came across an ad hoc aid station that physicians and rescuers had set up. The floor held the offices of Arthur E. Palmer, a consulting engineer of the Caterpillar Tractor Company. William F. Smith, who had led some of the most dangerous missions in WWII in Europe, was the pilot. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the state of New York. July 28, 2015 7:00 AM EDT. The carnage would have been much worse had the firemen not reacted so quickly. Inside were Palmer and his assistant, D.J. Mayor LaGuardia Collection, NYC Municipal Archives. Smith contacted LaGuardia and requested permission to land. You're stuck there in an island, with fire all around us," Willig said. Five months after the accident, she returned the building but had no memory of what had happened to her. A few people exploited the accident for profit. "In the other side of the office, all I could see was flames," Willig said. The events of the Empire State Building crash helped inspire the beginning of Halle Ephrons novel; There Was an Old Woman. There were 26 injured, including several firemen. Email Address Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. he radioed La Guardia Field and was informed that he was already 15 miles south of the airport. The 1945 Plane Crash at the Empire State Building - Owlcation Arkansas, In France, Marshal Henri-Philippe Ptain, who had headed up the Nazi-collaborationist Vichy regime, was on trial for treason. However, the conditions were very difficult and much of . The war in Europe was largely over, V-E Day had been declared about seven weeks earlier, and the fall of Japan was near. On July 28, 1945 A B-25 military bomber crashed into the Empire State Building in Manhattan, New York. There were five or six seconds I was tottering on my feet trying to keep my balance and three-quarters of the office was instantaneously consumed in this sheet of flame. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. All 11 victims were workers from War Relief Services department of the National Catholic Welfare Conference, into the offices of which the plane had crashed. The B-25 Empire State Building Crash: Tragedy on 34th Street As the smallest person there, Malony said that the firemen urged him to crawl through the hole and into the smashed elevator. According to Therese Fortier Willig, who worked on the 79th floor, she could see nothing but flames. The view of the Empire State Building after a B-25 Bomber crash. Miraculously, the elevator systems emergency hydraulics applied brakes to the plunging car, and the severed cables beneath the elevator piled up and acted like a coiled spring that slowed the elevator as it fell. Frank Powell, manager of the tower, led the group to safety down the fireproof stairwell, which was filling with people evacuating the other floors. Empire State Building Disaster: Interior, 79th Fl. Take a look back at the. It is unknown what role Domitrovitch was to play on that mornings flight, but it is likely that he was Smiths flight engineer. Plane crashes into Empire State Building - History Walsh wrote that the fires were brought under control in 19 minutes and were extinguished within 40 minutes. Due to the damage to the elevators, the firemen were unable to ride above the 60th floor so, toting their hoses and other portable equipment, they clambered up the stairs. Alabama, A veteran of an unheard-of 100 combat missions over France and Germany34 of them as a pilotSmith had been awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses, four Air Medals, and the French Croix de Guerre.

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