It Was Called an "Impossibility" at the Time....

July 28, 2005 7:51 AM

Anniversary of B-25 Crashing into the Empire State Building: 9:50 a.m., Saturday July 28, 1945.

Today is the anniversary of the crash of an airplane into the Empire State Building.

posted by Dunvegan (16 comments total)

I want to be the FIRST TO MENTION SOMETHING ABOUT SEPTEMBER 11th.
posted by Citizen Premier at 8:19 AM on July 28, 2005

Interesting post, by the way. It's a fact I can bother my friends with.
posted by Citizen Premier at 8:19 AM on July 28, 2005

they just don't build 'em like they used to. and to think it only took a year and 45 days to build. 'course, i'm a bigger fan of the chrysler building. born too late, born too late.
posted by keswick at 8:27 AM on July 28, 2005

"Hotel magnet Vincent Astor owned this 12-story building."

We live in a world of "close enough" literacy.
posted by parki at 8:31 AM on July 28, 2005

Eleven people died when the plane hit, most of whom worked for a Catholic charity housed in the building.

Here's an audio file of eyewitness accounts.
posted by anastasiav at 8:43 AM on July 28, 2005

The given links alternately state the bomber's crew -- all killed -- at 2, 3 and 4. Anyone know the actual number?
posted by TheNakedPixel at 8:53 AM on July 28, 2005

We live in a world of "close enough" literacy.

Seriously...was this article written by a 4th grader or something?
posted by 40 Watt at 9:10 AM on July 28, 2005

It was Truman!
posted by brain_drain at 9:18 AM on July 28, 2005

I was just thinking about this on my way to work this morning, as I walked past it.

I wish I knew more about aviation, and the time this occurred, because jesus, the ESB isn't THAT tall, and that's a dangerously low altitude to be flying at, particularly over a densely populated city. Wonder what that guy was thinking?
posted by psmealey at 10:58 AM on July 28, 2005

I bet he was thinking "Damn, I wish I could see through this fog. Where the heck am I? Where's the New Jersey airport? I wish someone would invent GPS. Or at least VOR."
posted by hattifattener at 11:06 AM on July 28, 2005

still though... they did have altimeters back then.
posted by psmealey at 11:30 AM on July 28, 2005

investigators believe that Col. Smith looked down through a break in the cloud cover and saw a curved river and thought it to be the East River, when in fact it was the Hudson. Seeing this curve it is believed that he then descended for his approach at Newark airport.

He thought he was coming in for a landing into Newark. The altimeter would not have helped.
posted by linux at 12:41 PM on July 28, 2005

I seem to recall that William Gaines later set up Mad magazine's offices in the space where the plane hit, reasoning that the odds against a second plane ever hitting floor again were extremely remote.

That is all the trivia I have.
posted by thirteen at 2:21 PM on July 28, 2005

Here's an audio file of eyewitness accounts.

"It's 12:25 Eastern War Time in New York City..."

Eastern War Time. That's new to me.
posted by pracowity at 2:37 PM on July 28, 2005

"Nearby buildings were damaged by fragments of the impact and one of the planes engines was found on the South side of the building in the top of a twelve story building. The engine had flown over thirty-third St. and had crashed through a skylight in a penthouse. The engine started a $78,000.00 fire in the studio of sculptor Henry Hering. Hotel magnet Vincent Astor owned this 12-story building."

It appears to be talking about the building on 33rd street, not the empire state, parki and 40-watt.
posted by sciatica at 8:37 PM on July 28, 2005

Eastern War Time. That's new to me.

From 1942 to 1945, the US maintained year-round Daylight Saving Time. Britain and other European countries did the same with Summer Time, and some implemented Double Summer Time during the normal Summer Time period. Naturally, this allowed for more activity to take place in the evening before air-raid blackouts, and theoretically kept industrial production higher.

he given links alternately state the bomber's crew -- all killed -- at 2, 3 and 4. Anyone know the actual number?

Three: On that Saturday, William Smith, a decorated war hero and veteran of over 50 missions, was preparing to fly a B-25 bomber from Bedford, Massachussets to Newark airport in New Jersey to pick up his commanding officer. With him was his co-pilot Christopher Domitrovich, and Navy Machinist’s Mate Albert Perna who was headed home on emergency leave.


I seem to recall that William Gaines later set up Mad magazine's offices in the space where the plane hit

>Where are the MAD offices? The current location is 1700 Broadway, New York NY. Other locations, staring at the first, included: 225 Lafayette St, 850 Third St, and 485 MADison Ave, all in New York city.

None of those are 350 Fifth Avenue, the address of the ESB. Besides, the Catholics never moved.
posted by dhartung at 11:20 PM on July 28, 2005