The Empire State Building in NYC was
the tallest building in the world from 1931 to
1972 it was also the site of a B-25 Mitchell
bomber crash on the north side of the building between the 79th and 80th floors
on Saturday, July 28, 1945. In thick fog pilot Lieutenant Colonel William
Franklin Smith, Jr., flew into the building where the offices of the National Catholic Welfare Council
were located. One engine shot through the side opposite the impact and flew as
far as the next block where it landed on the roof of a nearby building,
starting a fire that destroyed a penthouse. The other engine and part of the
landing gear plummeted down an elevator shaft. The resulting fire was
extinguished in 40 minutes. 14 people were killed and Elevator operator Betty Lou Oliver survived a plunge of 75 stories inside an elevator, which
still stands as the Guinness World Record for the longest survived
elevator fall recorded. Even with the damage and loss of life, the building was
open for business on many floors on the following Monday. A year later, another
aircraft narrowly missed striking the building as well. Today one may enjoy
views from the 86th and 108th floor observation towers 365 days a year from
8:00 a.m. until 2:00 a.m. However, if you want to observe New York City at 2:00
a.m. make sure to catch the last elevator up at 1:15 a.m.
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