Witnesses Watch Crew Parachute Out Of The Aircraft Before It Impacts Terrain

A blimp operated by the advertising firm AirSign caught fire Thursday morning near the Erin Hills Golf Course in Hartford, WI where the U.S. Open Golf Tournament had just gotten underway.

CBS news reports that, according to its affiliate WDJT-TV, at least one person was injured in the accident, but gave no further details about the person, the nature of the injury or their condition.

Witnesses said the aircraft caught fire in flight, and crew members could be seen parachuting out of the aircraft. It went down near the golf course where the tournament is being played.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that, according to witness Bryan Rosine, the crew was trying to "give it some throttle and it didn't go up. Then there was a bunch of kabooms and smoke clouds.

Another said one side of the aircraft started to deflate and the airship caught fire as it fell to the ground.

U.S. Golf Association spokesman Jeff Altstadter told CBS news that officials are still gathering information about the accident.

AirSign confirmed that it was the owner of the aircraft, which had been rented by PenFed Credit Union for the tournament. The business is not an official sponsor of the tournament.

(Images from YouTube Videos posted by users Mitchell Wiggs [top] and WTMJ [bottom])

FMI: www.ntsb.gov