The View from the 79th Floor
Jul 28, 2025•17 min
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Summary
This episode recounts the dramatic 1945 plane crash into the Empire State Building, where a U.S. Army bomber, lost in dense fog, slammed into the 79th floor. It details the harrowing experience of an elevator operator who survived a 79-story fall, as well as the chaos, fire, and desperate rescue efforts faced by those trapped inside the world's tallest building. The story captures the human resilience and tragedy of that fateful day.Episode description
Eighty years ago, on July 28, 1945, an Army bomber pilot on a routine ferry mission found himself lost in the fog over Manhattan. A dictation machine in a nearby office happened to capture the sound of the plane as it hit the Empire State Building at the 79th floor.
Fourteen people were killed. Debris from the plane severed the cables of an elevator, which fell 79 stories with a young woman inside. She survived. The crash prompted new legislation that—for the first time—gave citizens the right to sue the federal government.
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