Hangar 1 Vodka Blimp takes off on its own... found in backyard a few miles away

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A 128-foot-long blimp docked at an Ohio airport broke free of its moorings during strong winds early Sunday and drifted to the sky, then landed hours later in a backyard about two miles away.



No one was aboard when winds lifted the blimp just after midnight Sunday at the Don Scott airfield in Columbus, the state Highway Patrol said. The blimp then began drifting eastward.



Storms limited the options authorities had to find the blimp. The Federal Aviation Administration tried to locate it via radar, while its owners tried to spot it from the ground, said state police spokesman Lt. Rudy Zupanc.



Finally, a homeowner in suburban Worthington found it in the backyard seven hours later.



The blimp is marked with a logo for Hangar 1 Vodka and is on a tour of eastern and Midwest cities, according to the Hangar One Vodka website. It's next due next in Detroit on Thursday. The distiller that produces Hangar One Vodka, St. George Spirits of Alameda, Calif., did not respond to phone calls early Sunday.