Accident | |
---|---|
Date | July 21, 1919 |
Summary | In-flight fire |
Site | Chicago, Illinois, United States 41°52′41.25″N 87°37′56.28″W / 41.8781250°N 87.6323000°W |
Total fatalities | 13 |
Total injuries | 27 |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Type FD dirigible |
Aircraft name | Wingfoot Air Express |
Operator | Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company |
Flight origin | Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois |
Destination | White City amusement park, Chicago, Illinois |
Passengers | 2 |
Crew | 3 |
Fatalities | 3 (2 passengers, 1 crew) |
Injuries | 0 |
Survivors | 2 (2 crew) |
Ground casualties | |
Ground fatalities | 10 |
Ground injuries | 27 |
The Wingfoot Air Express was an early Goodyear blimp that caught fire and crashed into the Illinois Trust and Savings Building in Chicago on July 21, 1919. The Type FD airship, manufactured and owned by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, was transporting passengers from Grant Park to the White City amusement park.[1] One crew member, two passengers and ten bank employees were killed in what was the worst airship disaster in the United States up to that time.