Bad Landing For Goodyear Blimp

It was a rough landing for the Goodyear blimp.

The "Spirit of America" broke loose from its mooring lines while trying to land last night and drifted into a parked truck and piles of mulch at a nearby plant nursery.

According to the local Sheriff's department, there were no injuries or damage to the nursery.

The airship could be seen on television news reports partly deflated, but authorities wouldn't say exactly what damage was done to it.

A cameraman on board suffered a knee injury and was taken to the hospital.
Sergeant Paul Rice of the Los Angeles County sheriff's department says the blimp had nearly landed but the ground crew wasn't able to secure it on first approach. The pilot tried to circle around again but didn't have enough power to liftoff. The airship floated over a fence and hit the truck and mulch piles, partially deflating.

Goodyear operates the famed airships out of Akron, Ohio, and Pompano Beach, Florida, in addition to the California site.

This is not the first time a Goodyear airship suffered an undignified, bumpy landing. the company's most venerable and oldest blimp crashed in 1999 - atop some trees in Ohio.

The airship "Spirit of Akron" went down in a wooded area a few miles from the company's air dock, slightly injuring both people aboard.