A Blimp Crashed at the U.S. Open

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A blimp near the U.S. Open fell from the sky Thursday at the Erin Hills golf course in Wisconsin.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to TIME that a blimp did crash and that emergency responders were on the scene. A spokesperson for the United States Golf Association (USGA), which runs the U.S. Open Championship, said in a statement that the commercial blimp went down about half-a-mile from the course at about 11:15 a.m. local time, and that the blimp was not affiliated with Open or its official broadcast.

The spokesperson, Jeff Altstadter, said the blimp pilot was being treated for unknown injuries.

“No other people were involved in the incident and local law enforcement is currently investigating,” he said in an email. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the pilot at this time.”

Spectators at the golf national championship posted photos and videos of a large, misshapen blimp descending from the sky.

Blimps floating above the tree line have long been a mainstay of the U.S. Open. Aerial ad company AirSign had been promoting a blimp above the tournament hours before the crash, and ABC reports that the company confirmed that its blimp was the one that had crashed.

AirSign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

About an hour before the crash, AirSign had retweeted a photo of a blimp on television in which a user described it as “ominously low.”

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Write to Julia Zorthian at julia.zorthian@time.com