WORTHINGTON, Ohio - A 94-year-old Ohio woman who woke up to discover that a breakaway blimp from a nearby airport had landed in her backyard said she heard a bang during stormy weather but didn't realize what happened until police knocked on her door about seven hours later.
The 128-foot-long blimp broke free of its moorings at a Columbus airport during strong winds early Sunday, then drifted to the sky, headed eastward and landed in Lillian Bernhagen's backyard in Worthington, less than two miles from Ohio State University's Don Scott airfield. No one was aboard and no injuries were reported.
The remnants of a battered blimp were draped over Bernhagen's picnic table and birdfeeders, covering half her backyard.
"I looked out the window and I said, 'Wow!"' she said.
As crews dismantled and inspected the blimp Sunday morning, Bernhagen snapped photos to share with relatives and talked about the surprise that forced her to miss her church service.
"It really is quite an occasion to have a blimp land in your yard," she said.