MetLife Blimp crashes; no one injured(Snoopy down, Red Baron to blame?)

Macon.com ^ | 10/21/02 | Macon.com

[Diddle E. Squat]

VALDOSTA, Ga. - A MetLife blimp narrowly missed a gazebo just before it crashed Monday in south Georgia due to high winds.

The pilot was forced to jump from the gondola moments before the blimp's impact. Authorities said no one was injured in the incident, which happened shortly after 5 p.m. in Lowndes County.

The pilot described the crash as controlled.

The blimp initially tried to land at Valdosta Regional Airport but high winds from an afternoon storm blew the ship named "Snoopy One" off course.

Snoopy One is one of two MetLife blimps that cover professional sporting events around the country. A five-vehicle, 14-member crew travels with the blimp during its trips across the country.

A similar incident happened with Snoopy One's sister ship in Kansas City in September 2001. The blimp in town for a professional football game broke away from its mooring during a thunderstorm and landed about 75 miles away in rural northern Missouri. No one was injured during that event.

Federal Aviation Administration Officials are expected to investigate the crash Tuesday.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Macy's had no comment. The gazebo was shaken but defiant.

[keithtoo]

You mean the Sopwith Camel is no more?

[martin_fierro]

OH, THE HUMANITY!

[gridlock]

What did Bush know, and when did he know it?

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

Jane Spencer: "Goodyear?"
Lt. Frank Drebin: "No, the worst..."

-- From "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad"

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Did they have insurance?

[lds23]

Master master
This is recorded thru uh flies ear
'n you have t' have uh flies eye t' see it
It's the thing that's gonna make Captain Beefheart
And his magic band fat
Frank it's the big hit
It's the blimp
It's the blimp Frank
It's the blimp

When I see you floatin' down the gutter
I'll give you uh bottle uh wine
Put me on the white hook
Back in the fat rack
Shad rack ee shack
The sumptin' hoop the sumptin' hoop
The blimp the blimp
The drazy hoops the drazy hoops
They're camp they're camp
T**s t**s the blimp the blimp
The mother ship the mother ship
The brothers hid under their hood
From the blimp the blimp
Children stop yer nursin' unless yer renderin' fun
The mother ship the mother ship
The mother ship's the one
The blimp the blimp
The tapes uh trip it's uh trailin' tail
It's traipse'n along behind the blimp the blimp
The nose has uh crimp
The nose is the blimp the blimp
It blows the air the snoot isn't fair
Look up in the sky there's uh dirigible there
The drazy hoops whir
You can see them just as they were
All the people stir
'n the girls knees trembles
'n run 'n wave their hands
'n run their hands over the blimp the blimp
Daughter don't yuh dare
Oh momma who cares
It's the blimp it's the blimp.

- Don Van Vliet

[drjimmy]

Curses, foiled again!

[tracer]

This gives new meaning to their slogan, "Get MetLife. It Pays"......

[gridlock]

Before:

After:

Any Questions?

[steveo]

Sounds series!

[VRWCmember]

Curse You, Red Baron!

[ErnBatavia]

Rickenbacker friendly fire bump

[Johnny Gage]

They were lucky they didn't have this same type of crash here in Minnesota.

The blimp was here for a golf tourney and it was kinda funny to see it fighting 30+ MPH winds while fighting to get it's nose into the wind to get back to the small airport.

Probably shouldn't have been out in the first place.

[wallcrawlr]

[bonesmccoy]

[Temple Owl]

Damn you Charlie Brown.

[BlazingArizona]

Have you met the ground today?