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Pilot of blimp screamed 'I crashed the airship' before it burst into flames, survivor says
Rescuers carry a coffin at the airfield in Reichelsheim, central Germany, early Monday June 13, 2011. An airship crashed in Germany and caught fire Sunday, June 12, killing the pilot. The DAPD news agency reported that police said the aircraft's three passengers were able to escape unharmed from the accident Sunday evening near Reichelsheim, outside Frankfurt. The airship was returning from an appearance at a local music festival. There was no immediate word on the cause of the accident (AP Photo/dapd/Mario Vedder)
BERLIN - The pilot of a Goodyear blimp screamed "I crashed the airship" before it burst into flames, a passenger who leapt to safety says.
Photographer Joachim Storch told media that the blimp — The Spirit of Safety — missed its designated landing spot at Reichelsheim airfield in central Germany on Sunday evening, causing its engine to slam into the ground.
The pilot yelled "We had an accident!" followed by "I crashed the airship!" as fire crept through the blimp, Storch told the DAPD news agency on Monday.
Storch and two other passengers, a man and woman from a TV crew, leapt 7 feet (2 metres) to safety.
The sudden loss of weight caused the ship to shoot into the air, where it burst into flames, killing the pilot who remained in the cabin.
Germany's aviation investigator said Tuesday it will need weeks to complete an investigation into the cause of the crash.
"We are conducting interviews with witnesses, gathering evidence from the site and analyzing images of the accident," said Klaus Himmler, a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation. "We are conducting a widespread investigation."
The bureau's findings are not expected to be reported for another four to eight weeks, he added.
However, in an initial finding, police said later Tuesday that fuel leaked from the craft and caught fire following its failed landing.
Goodyear, which had commissioned the blimp as part of a road safety advertising campaign, said in a statement that it was halting the initiative and would leave its second airship in Europe grounded.
"Our thoughts and sympathies are with the family and relatives of the pilot," the company said in a statement.
The United States tire company said it has used blimps for more than 85 years and never previously experienced any fatalities.
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