1945 Empire State Building B-25 crash
The Empire State Building on fire following the crash | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | July 28, 1945 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain (building) in inclement weather conditions (fog) |
| Site | Empire State Building, New York City 40°44′54″N 73°59′08″W / 40.74833°N 73.98556°W |
| Total fatalities | 14 |
| Total injuries | 24 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | B-25 Mitchell |
| Aircraft name | Old John Feather Merchant |
| Operator | United States Army Air Forces |
| Registration | 41-30577 |
| Flight origin | Bedford Army Air Field Bedford, Massachusetts |
| Destination | Newark Metropolitan Airport |
| Occupants | 3 (flight crew members) |
| Fatalities | 3 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 11 |
| Ground injuries | 24 |
On July 28, 1945, a B-25 Mitchell bomber of the United States Army Air Forces accidentally crashed into the north side of the Empire State Building in New York City while flying in thick fog. The crash killed fourteen people (three crewmen and eleven people in the building), and an estimated twenty-four others were injured. Damage caused by the crash was estimated at US$1 million (equivalent to about $17 million in 2024), but the building's structural integrity was not compromised.