Imagine a Saturday morning so thick with fog you couldn't see the end of the block. That was July 28, 1945. Most of New York was still rubbing sleep from its eyes. Then, at 9:40 a.m., a sound like a thunderclap ripped through Midtown. People looked up, but there was only grey mist and a terrifying orange glow 900 feet in the sky.
A massive B-25 Mitchell bomber had just slammed into the north side of the Empire State Building.
The world’s tallest skyscraper had been hit by a ten-ton war machine. Honestly, it’s a miracle the whole thing didn't just come down. But it didn't. The building shuddered, groaned, and then stood its ground while burning high-octane fuel poured down its limestone face.
The Pilot Who Ignored the Tower
Lieutenant Colonel William F. Smith Jr. was no rookie. He was a 27-year-old West Point grad with combat hours over Germany. He was decorated. He was experienced. But that morning, he was in a hurry.
He was flying a routine transport mission—basically a "hitchhiker" flight—from Bedford, Massachusetts, to Newark. Onboard were two others: Staff Sergeant Christopher Domitrovich and a Navy man, Albert Perna, who was just trying to get home on emergency leave.
When Smith reached New York, the fog was a wall.
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La Guardia airport controllers practically begged him to land. They told him visibility was zero. They literally said they couldn't see the top of the Empire State Building from the ground. Smith, perhaps overconfident or just determined to reach Newark, ignored the advice. He pushed on.
He got disoriented. He thought he was over the East River; he was actually over Central Manhattan. He missed the Chrysler Building by a hair. Then, the Empire State Building suddenly loomed out of the mist. He tried to climb. He tried to bank. It was too late.
18 Feet of Twisted Steel
The B-25 hit the 78th and 79th floors. It didn't just bounce off; it punched a hole 18 feet wide right into the offices of the National Catholic Welfare Council.
One engine actually tore through the entire building. It flew out the south side, traveled a full block, and landed on a penthouse roof on 33rd Street, starting another fire. The other engine? It plunged down an elevator shaft.
Thirteen people died almost instantly. Eleven were office workers, mostly young women starting their Saturday shift. The three men on the plane never stood a chance. The carnage was intense, yet, strangely, the building was open for business the very next Monday. People were tough back then.
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The Girl Who Fell 75 Stories
If you want a story that sounds fake but isn't, look at Betty Lou Oliver. She was a 20-year-old elevator operator. The crash had already burned her pretty badly, so rescuers put her on a different elevator to get her down to an ambulance.
They didn't realize the cables on that elevator were shredded.
The cables snapped. Betty Lou plummeted 75 stories—about 1,000 feet—in a free fall. Most people would be liquid after a drop like that. But the snapped cables coiled at the bottom of the shaft, creating a sort of metal spring. Also, the air pressure in the tight shaft acted like a piston, slowing the car down just a tiny bit.
She survived. She had a broken back, neck, and pelvis, but she lived to tell the story. She still holds the Guinness World Record for the longest survived elevator fall.
Why the B-25 Empire State Building Crash Changed the Law
This wasn't just a tragedy; it was a legal mess. Back then, you couldn't really sue the U.S. government for negligence. It was an old rule: the "Sovereign can do no wrong."
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The families of the victims were rightfully furious. Their loved ones died because a military pilot made a reckless call in the fog. This event became the tipping point for the Federal Tort Claims Act of 1946.
Because of this crash, Americans gained the right to sue the federal government for the first time. It changed the legal landscape of the country forever.
What You Should Know Today
Looking back, the B-25 Empire State Building accident is often forgotten because it happened just weeks before the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan. The world moved on fast. But for the city, it was a lesson in structural engineering. The building’s steel frame was so robust that it absorbed an impact that would have toppled lesser structures.
Next Steps for History Buffs:
- Visit the 86th Floor: There is a small plaque dedicated to the victims and the heroism of the building staff.
- Read "The Sky is Falling" by Arthur Weingarten: It’s widely considered the most detailed account of the day, written by someone who was a young boy in NYC when it happened.
- Check the Weather: If you’re ever in Midtown on a foggy day, look up at the 79th floor. The limestone is a slightly different shade where the patch-up work was done.
The tragedy reminds us that even the most iconic landmarks have scars. It wasn't an act of war, just a series of very human mistakes made in a very thick fog.