The airship was substantially damaged when it collided with trees, power lines and the ground at 1842 Eastern time in visual conditions. The Commercial pilot and the passenger reported no injuries. As the pilot headed the airship toward the Pompano Beach Airpark for landing, he saw numerous cloud-to-ground lighting strikes and decided not to land. The pilot flew the airship out of the area to wait for the storms to pass but the weather deteriorated rapidly, and he encountered heavy rain, lightning, and severe outflow and downdrafts. The pilot stated the airship became unable to climb, make headway, or maintain directional control with full power on the engines. He stated he attempted to guide it away from residences, and the airship struck trees and power lines and came to rest on the ground in an industrial complex.
June 16, 2005, Coral Springs, Fla. / Goodyear Blimp
The airship was substantially damaged when it collided with trees, power lines and the ground at 1842 Eastern time in visual conditions. The Commercial pilot and the passenger reported no injuries. As the pilot headed the airship toward the Pompano Beach Airpark for landing, he saw numerous cloud-to-ground lighting strikes and decided not to land. The pilot flew the airship out of the area to wait for the storms to pass but the weather deteriorated rapidly, and he encountered heavy rain, lightning, and severe outflow and downdrafts. The pilot stated the airship became unable to climb, make headway, or maintain directional control with full power on the engines. He stated he attempted to...
Key Takeaways:
- An airship sustained substantial damage after colliding with trees, power lines, and the ground due to rapidly deteriorating severe weather conditions.
- The pilot, having diverted from a landing due to lightning, subsequently encountered heavy rain, severe outflow, and downdrafts, leading to a complete loss of climb, headway, and directional control.
- Despite the airship's substantial damage, both the commercial pilot and the passenger reported no injuries from the incident.
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