The
Empire State Building Plane Crash
B-25
Bomber Hits 78th Floor, July 28, 1945!!
Photo
by Ernie Sisto/New York Times
Too
late the pilot of the U.S. Army B-25 bomber with three men aboard, saw the
Empire State Building loom up before his eyes. At 300 miles per hour, he
plunged through the 34th Street side of the building wreaking havoc. The major
portion of the wreckage penetrated the 78th floor. An engine hurtled down an
elevator shaft igniting a furious fire in the basement. Parts of the motor and
landing gear tore through the entire building landing on top of a 13-story
ediface across the street and igniting a second conflagration.
With
legs held down by two newsmen, photographer Ernie Sisto crawled out on a
harrowing ledge and took the historic photo. It ran on page one of the
New York Times.
-
The Editor
Ernie
Sisto