New York City Nightmare: The B-25 Mitchell plane crash into Empire State Building, 1945

On July 28, 1945, a B-25 Mitchell bomber aircraft piloted by Lieutenant Colonel William Franklin Smith Jr. crashed into the Empire State Building in New York City. The tragic incident occurred during a dense fog, and due to a navigation error, Smith ended up flying into the side of the building.

Before the incident, Smith and his crew had taken off from Bedford Army Airfield in Massachusetts and were on a routine training mission. However, due to poor visibility due to the fog, Smith became disoriented and ended up flying into the Empire State Building.

During the incident, the plane hit the 79th floor of the building, causing a massive explosion and fire. Fourteen people were killed in the crash, and another 26 were injured. Debris from the plane and building were scattered throughout the streets below. The building sustained significant damage, and the fire took several hours to put out.

In addition to the human toll, the crash also caused significant damage to the Empire State Building. The plane’s impact caused a hole in the side of the building, and the ensuing fire caused damage to several floors. The building’s elevators and electrical systems were also affected by the crash. Emergency services, including the New York City Fire Department, arrived quickly on the scene and worked to extinguish the fire and rescue those trapped in the building.

The crash also had a significant impact on the city of New York. The Empire State Building is a landmark and a symbol of the town, and the sight of the damaged building shocked many New Yorkers. The incident also caused widespread disruption and traffic congestion in the area as emergency services worked to respond to the crash. The  Empire State Building was closed to the public while repairs were made. The building’s owners, the Empire State Realty Trust, worked quickly to repair the damage and the building was reopened to the public just a few months later. The crash also improved flight safety, as the incident highlighted the dangers of flying in poor visibility conditions.

The B-25 Mitchell bomber crash into the Empire State Building was a tragic event that claimed the lives of 14 people and injured many more. It was a reminder of the dangers of flying in bad weather conditions and the resilience of the people of New York City. After the incident, an investigation was conducted to determine the cause of the crash. It was determined that Smith had become disoriented due to the fog and poor visibility and had mistakenly flown into the side of the building. The incident was a tragic reminder of the dangers of flying in bad weather conditions. The Empire State Building was repaired and reopened to the public just a few months later. The tragic incident is still a sad event in the history of New York City.

#1 One of the propellers found amongst the wreckage of the B-25 bomber which had crashed into the 78th floor of the Empire State Building in New York.

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#2 Part of a US B-25 bomber which crashed into the Empire State Building in New York City.

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#3 Empire State Building at Manhattan in New York on July 1945

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#4 Jane Froman sits and talks to Military personnel during the Newspaper Guild Ball on December 6, 1945 in New York

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#5 Empire State Building Burning after Plane Crash

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#6 Crew at Airplane Crash Site on City Skyscraper

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#7 Firemen Carrying a Casualty From Crash

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#8 A man examines charred documents in an office in the Empire State Building after a B-25 Mitchell bomber

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#9 A workman fixing tarpaulins over broken windows at the Empire State Building, 1945

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#10 Police and firemen examine a burned out office on the 79th floor of the Empire State Building, 1945

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#11 An injured woman is carried out of the Empire State Building to an ambulace on 34th Street, 1945

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#12 The coffin of a crash victim is carried out of the Empire State Building to an ambulance on 34th Street, 1945

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#13 Exposed lift shafts on a damaged floor of the Empire State Building, after a B-25 Mitchell bomber crashed into the north side of the skyscraper, 1945

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#14 This photo shows where part of the plane came out other side of the building.

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#15 Close-up of a man as he looks up at the Empire State Building

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#16 Close-up of a woman as she looks up at the Empire State Building

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#17 Two men looking up at the Empire State Building

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#18 Empire State Plane Crash

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#19 A boy looking up at the Empire State Building where a plane (a North American Aviation B-25 Mitchell bomber) had crashed into the building

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#20 A view of part of the wreckage of the U.S. Army B-25 bombing plane that crashed into the empire state building

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#21 A girl as she looks up at the Empire State Building

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#22 A view of the hole rammed into the 78th and 79th stories of the Empire State Building by a U.S. Army Bomber flying in the fog.

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#23 Man Looking at Plane Crash Debris

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#24 Empire State Building Burning after Plane Crash

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#25 Workmen begin the costly job of repairing the damage done to the worl’d highest building the freak plane crash.

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#26 Don Maloney, Coast Guardsman, carries first aid kit as he helps injured woman down stairs at the Empire State Building after plane crashed into the building.

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#27 Firemen working amidst the wreckage from a plane which crashed in to the Empire State Building.

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#28 Empire State Building Plane Crash Story. Rev. M.S. Finneran of Montgomery, Alabama, looking at a small statue of Jesus on the cross, one of the few undamaged things on the 79th floor where the plane crashed.

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#29 A bomber plane crashed here between the Empire State Building’s 78th and 79th floors.

Pieces of the plane, a jagged hole, ripped steel girders and shattered masonry testify to the devastating impact.

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#30 Twisted Plane Metal in a Heap

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#31 Workers on Side of Empire State Building

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#32 A man holding up debris from the wreckage of a bomber plane which crashed into the empire State Building

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#33 The wreckage from a bomber plane which crashed into the Empire State Building in New York City

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#34 Twisted metal is all that remains of typewriters at National Catholic Welfare Conference, on 79th floor of Empire State Building. Restoration work is proceeding at rapid pace on two hardest hit floors.

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#35 Grief-stricken relatives of Empire State plane crash dead talk with Detective Mullins (back to camera) at Bellevue Morgue. One man holds photo which was used to identify victim.

Identification of the 13 dead was proceeding slowly, most of the victims being burned beyond recognition. Three of the injured were near death.

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#36 A view of the Empire State Building after an Army B-25 bomber crashed into the 76th floor in fog.

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#37 Relatives and friends of those killed

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#38 Nun Looking at Plane Crash on Empire State Building

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#39 Betty Lou Oliver Fell 80 Floors and Walked Again

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#40 Empire State Crash Victim Returns to Scene of Injury

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