Smoking blimp distracts Open golfers
A small blimp crashed near the US Open yesterday, seriously injuring the pilot and grabbing the attention of fans and golfers alike as they watched the fiery, smoking craft fall from the sky into an open field.
Sheriff ’ s officials said the pilot was the only one on board the blimp.
“I was teeing off and I looked up and saw it on fire, and I felt sick to my stomach,” Jamie Lovemark said after his opening round in one of golf ’ s four majors. “I had the shakes. I felt terrible for the people inside. I didn’t know what was going on. It was a horrible sight.”
Golfer Brandt Snedeker said he spotted something while on the course at Erin Hills, about 56 kilo- metres northwest of Milwaukee.
“My caddie made a comment on the 9th hole. He said ‘ The blimp is not looking good’,” Snedeker said. “I guess it was nose down. I saw a puff of black smoke. I didn’t know it was the blimp. It’s not good. Glad everybody is OK”
The blimp, operated by Floridabased AirSign, was being used for advertising as it floated above the tournament and had been airborne for several hours before it went down, authorities said. The Washington County Sheriff ’ s Office said its initial investigation shows the blimp may have experienced mechanical problems.
A deputy at a security post re- ported seeing the aircraft on fire or smoking and rapidly descending, authorities said. Rescue crews used utility vehicles to reach the crash site, about 800 metres from the golf course.
Aerial video from a television news helicopter showed pieces of the flattened blimp on the field along with charred metal and grass. A handful of fans at the US Open also posted video on Twitter of the craft’s descent.
Justin Maynard, a sales manager for AirSign, said the company’s operations team on the ground in Erin had no definitive information on the pilot’s condition, other than the pilot was expected to be OK.