Goodyear blimp drifts into truck; cameraman injured
By: Administrative Account | Source: Sarasota Herald Tribune
December 4, 2003 11:06AM EST

The Associated Press

CARSON, Calif. --

A cameraman inside a Goodyear blimp was injured when the airship came loose from its moorings, drifted into a parked truck and nose-dived into a fertilizer pile beside a plant nursery.

The Goodyear cameraman hurt his knee and was transported to a hospital, said Sgt. Paul Rice of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The pilot of the blimp, called the "Spirit of America," was not injured. Nobody else was onboard and there were no other injuries, Rice said.

The accident shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday caused a large tear in the polyester fabric front of the blimp, which remained upended and partially inflated overnight. The gondola's front window also was knocked out, said sheriff's Sgt. John Hocking.

The accident occurred after the blimp returned from downtown Los Angeles where it had been shooting video of the Staples Center during an NBA game, said Goodyear spokeswoman Jennifer Arnold.

As the blimp landed in this suburb south of Los Angeles, "the ground crew wasn't able to secure it on the first approach," Rice said. "The plan was to circle around again, but there was not enough power for liftoff, so it got away from the ground crew."

The blimp finally touched down up to 300 yards away from its landing site, he said.

Arnold said Goodyear was investigating the accident and cooperating with authorities. She declined to further discuss the accident.

"We're thankful there were no serious injuries," she said.

A crew of 21 people operates the Spirit of America, Goodyear's newest blimp, Arnold said.

The 192-long blimp, christened in September 2002, has flown up and down the West Coast, as far north as Canada. It provides aerial photography for major sports events and has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including ABC's "The Bachelorette."

The other two Goodyear airships in the United States are housed in Akron, Ohio, and Pompano Beach, Fla.

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