EMPIRE STATE BUILDING PLANE CRASH 8-16-45

A Mitchell bomber en route for Newark in fog crashed into the 78th and 79th stories of the Empire State Building.

Thirteen lives, including the crew were lost and many others received burns, injuries and shock.
Two days later, the skyscraper reopened its doors. It never collapsed..

The Mitchell bomber, also known as the B-25, was a medium bomber used during World War II. It was designed by North American Aviation, Inc.and first flown in 1940.

It was a high-wing monoplane with a twin tail and tricycle landing gear, powered by two 1,700-horsepower Wright radial engines, and had a wingspan of 67 feet 7 inches and a length of 53 feet 6 inches.

The B-25 was named after Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation.

It was used by many Allied air forces and saw duty in every combat area being flown by the Dutch, British, and 12th Air Force.

The B-25 served in every theater of war and gained fame in April 1942 in the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo.

After the war ended, many remained in service, operating across four decades.