It was a cloudy, dreary July day in New York City in 1945. What was supposed to be a routine flight from Massachusetts to New Jersey to South Dakota, ended suddenly when a combat pilot with hundreds of hours in the flak-filled skies over Germany, inexplicably slammed his B-25 bomber, the Old John Feather Merchant, into the 79th floor of the most iconic building in the United States - the Empire State Building. Did this seasoned pilot let his guard down? Did the weather forecast suddenly change? Did air traffic control provide faulty information? Why didn't radar, one of the most amazing and life-saving inventions of the war, prevent this tragedy? This episode will address all of these questions and more. Note: Sound effects in this episode are from actual B-25 Mitchell Bombers recorded at recent airshows.
It was a cloudy, dreary July day in New York City in 1945. What was supposed to be a routine flight from Massachusetts to New Jersey to South Dakota, ended suddenly when a combat pilot with hundreds of hours in the flak-filled skies over Germany, inexplicably slammed his B-25 bomber, the Old John Feather Merchant, into the 79th floor of the most iconic building in the United States - the Empire State Building. Did this seasoned pilot let his guard down? Did the weather forecast suddenly change? Did air traffic control provide faulty information? Why didn't radar, one of the most amazing and life-saving inventions of the war, prevent this tragedy? This episode will address all of these questions and more. Note: Sound effects in this episode are from actual B-25 Mitchell Bombers recorded at recent airshows.