ERIN, WI (RNN) - A blimp that had been flying over the U.S. Open golf tournament Thursday went down, with witnesses saying it may have caught fire before crashing.
A person who posted video to Twittersays she saw someone parachuting out. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinelreported one person, presumably the pilot, had been airlifted from the scene to receive medical treatment.
A representative for AirSign, the company that operates the blimp, told the Associated Press that only the pilot was on board the craft, and he is "OK."
The company that owns the blimp is AirSign. They posted a picture of the PenFed Credit Union model that was flying over the course on Twitter, along with a request for people to post and share their "blimp sighting pics."
Emergency crews have responded to the site of the crash, which was in an open field outside of the course.
The charred remains of the inflatable aircraft could be seen lying on the ground. A metal frame lying on the burnt ground appeared to be the only remains of the gondola, or passenger compartment.
This is the first year the golf tournament, one of the PGA's four majors, has been held at Erin Hills. It is the 117th U.S. Open.
The four-day tournament started Thursday.
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