Aircraft Crashing into Skyscraper

The Empire State Building in New York was famous between 1931 and 1970 as the tallest structure in the world.

The name of the Empire State Building, which is one of the symbols of New York City, is the city of New York. The name "imperial state" is one of New York City's nicknames, like the "Big Apple." Although the 102-floor and 443-meter-high Empire State Building lost the title of being the tallest building in New York City to the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1970, when both towers were demolished on September 12, 2001, it became the tallest building in New York City. has regained it. King Kong, the giant gorilla, who took the girl he loved and climbed to the top of the Empire State Building, made the Empire State Building known all over the world.

When the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center surpassed the Empire State Building in 1970 and became the tallest structures in New York City, no one expected that the same misfortune that happened to the Empire State Building in 1945 would happen to these towers 56 years later. Unlike the Empire State Building, he could not have predicted that both towers would collapse after this event.

On July 28, 1945, at 09:40 am, a B-25D Mitchell bomber belonging to the US Air Force (USAAF) crashed into the Empire State Building, which was the tallest structure in the world at the time, at 360 kilometers per hour. The plane crashed into the northern facade of the building, 280 meters above street level, and opened a 5.5-meter-wide, 6-meter-wide pit on the facade of the Empire State Building. The 78th, 79th and 80th floors were severely damaged by the crash of the plane and then by the fire. Three people on the plane and 11 people in the building lost their lives in the accident. 26 people in the building were seriously injured.

When the plane crashed into the building, one of the engines of the plane, which went through the building, fell on the roof of one of the neighboring buildings, causing a fire there.

The B-25D Mitchell bomber that made the accident did not have any weapons or ammunition. The plane was used for VIP transport in the army. That's why they nicknamed the plane "Old John the Feather Salesman." Commander William Franklin Smith Jr., who piloted the plane, was only 27 years old at the time of the crash and was a brilliant officer among the youngest lieutenant colonels in the U.S. military. He was one of the heroic pilots of the Second World War. With his platoon, they had bombarded Germany hundreds of times, taking off from England. For Smith, who had won numerous medals for his piloting achievements, it was difficult to understand the concerns of air traffic safety officers at air traffic control towers in the United States.

On Saturday morning, July 28, 1945, on the plane that took off from the military airport in Boston, besides pilot William, there were also aviator Sergeant Christopher S. Domitrovich and Naval Aviation Technician Mate Albert Perna. Before departing Boston, they asked permission to take off from the tower at 08:30 and then travel to Newark airport. The tower stated that the weather was cloudy and foggy, and that there was a lot of IFR traffic in the Newark area, and stated that it could issue a take-off permit for Newark at 11:00. Famous for being an experienced and highly successful fighter pilot, William Smith didn't understand this down-selling civilian. They were making money in their offices, but they were also making everything difficult. It was foggy every day in England during the war. The fog did not prevent them from taking off from England every day with their planes, bombarding Germany and coming back. Colonel Harris Rogner was waiting for him in Newark at 10 a.m. They would pick it up and fly together to Sioux Falls airbase in South Dakota. Air Colonels did not like to be kept waiting. If Newark airport was not available, then they would declare their flight plan to La Guardia airport and get permission from the tower. When they hovered over New York City, they would not continue to La Guardia airport, but would turn towards Newark airport. At the time of the incident, the air traffic tower did not have radar observation facilities as a technical aid. Towers did not yet have this opportunity at that time. The towers were trying to maintain sufficient safety distance between aircraft traffic, based on calculations and pilot statements, according to the departure, navigation and arrival times in the completed flight plans. By communicating with the pilots via radio, they were getting position and altitude (ground height) information.

As pilot William Smith approached New York City, he called the tower and asked the weather again. Tower said that it was very foggy and because of the fog, he could not even see the Empire State Building. Unfortunately, Smith, who was trying to get to Newark airport by descending below the clouds to determine his direction instead of landing at La Guardia, could not see the Empire State Building. If he did, he probably saw it when he was too close to the building to avoid crashing into it.

The reason for the low loss of life in the building is that the accident happened on Saturday. On that day, very few people were working in the offices at that time, compared to weekdays. At the time of the accident, a young girl named Betty Lou Oliver, who was working as an elevator attendant in one of the elevators of the building, fell from the 72nd floor with the cabin, as the cables of the elevator cabin she was working in broke after the accident. Betty, who had broken her hipbone and fractured her lower back, back and neck vertebrae in the accident, managed to survive despite this. She is still known as the first person to fall from the highest height (300 meters) by elevator and survive.

Every rule determined to ensure flight safety in aviation was written in blood as a result of such painful events.