Many middle-aged New Yorkers will never forget the day an airplane [L3 216 / I 012 / smashed into the side of the Empire State Building]. On a foggy Saturday morning in July, 1945, a military pilot was given the go-ahead to fly from La Guardia airport to Newark. Blinded by the mist, he [L3 429 / crashed into the building] on the north side at the 79th floor. Fourteen people were killed, whilst [L3 430 / flaming gasoline] engulfed part of the building. Repairs took a year and cost $1 million.
