A Goodyear blimp crashed about 12 miles west of its base at Pompano Beach Airpark in Florida at about 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Thunderstorms were reported in the area, and witnesses said heavy rains and wind buffeted the airship as it descended to the ground. The blimp knocked down some electrical wires, and about 1,400 people nearby lost power. The two crew members were unhurt and waited in the gondola briefly until rescue crews had secured the site. One witness reported hearing loud noises from the blimp before it went down. Other witnesses were eating dinner in a Red Lobster restaurant when the blimp sailed by. “It looked like it was trying to land in our parking lot,” manager Maryann Clark told The Miami Herald. All of the Goodyear blimps have weather radar on board. Over the weekend, crews were dismantling the ship with box-cutters, and packing it for a return to the company’s hangar at Pompano.
