1945 Empire State Building B-25 crash

40°44′54.36″N 73°59′08.36″W

1945 Empire State Building B-25 crash

The hole on the side of the Empire State Building
Accident
Date	July 28, 1945
Summary	Controlled flight into terrain (Building) Due to heavy fog
Site	Empire State Building, New York City
Aircraft
Aircraft type	B-25 Mitchell
Aircraft name	North American B-25 Mitchell
Operator	U.S Army Air Forces
Registration	41-30577
Flight origin	Bedford Army Air Field Bedford, Massachusetts
Crew	3
Fatalities	14 (3 people on the plane, 11 people In the building)
Survivors	0

The B-25 Empire State Building crash was a plane crash that occurred on July 28, 1945. On that date, a B-25 Mitchell plane in heavy fog crashed into the Empire State Building in New York City. It caused 14 deaths (three people in the plane and eleven people in the building). It caused damage of around $1 million.^[1]

A B-25 Mitchell like the one that crashed into the Empire State Building.

The plane crashed between the 78th and 80th floors of the building, leaving a 18 ft (5.5 m) by 20 ft (6.1 m) hole in the building.^[2] The fire that was started was put out in 40 minutes. It is the only fire at such a height that has been successfully put out.^[2] Elevator operator Betty Lou Oliver survived a fall of 75 floors, which is the Guinness World Record for the longest fall survived in an elevator.^[3] The building was reopened the Monday after the crash.