Multiple Fatalities After WWII-Era B-17 'Flying Fortress' Crashes in Flames
2 Oct 2019
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/10/02/multiple-fatalities-after-wwii-era-b-17-flying-fortress-crashes-flames.html
A restored World War II-era B-17
"Flying Fortress" crashed in flames Wednesday morning while
attempting an emergency landing at Bradley International Airport in
Connecticut, resulting in what authorities described as multiple fatalities.
The crash at the airport in Windsor Locks,
Connecticut, was the latest in a number of fatal accidents involving vintage
aircraft. The aircraft participate in touring displays and air shows, sometimes
offering rides to the public.
The Hartford Courant, citing sources, said at
least five people were killed and nine injured when the B-17 skidded while
attempting to land. The plane crashed into an airport building shortly before
10 a.m., sending up a fireball and pillars of smoke. At least one person on the
ground was reported to be injured, state public safety Commissioner James
Rovella told the paper.
At the
news conference, Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport
Authority, said the B-17 took off at about 9:45 a.m. About five minutes later,
the pilot radioed the tower that he was experiencing an as-yet undefined
problem, he added.
"We
did observe that the aircraft was not getting any altitude," Dillon said.
The
pilot swung the aircraft around and attempted to land but "obviously lost
control" when the plane hit the runway, according to Dillon.
In a
posting immediately after the crash, airport officials said, "We can
confirm that there was an accident involving a Collings Foundation World War II
aircraft [Wednesday] morning at Bradley Airport.
"We have an active fire and rescue operation underway"
and "the airport is closed," the officials said.
A
Hartford Hospital spokesman said the facility had received six patients injured
in the crash, one by Life Star helicopter, but did not disclose their
conditions.
The B-17
that crashed in Connecticut was part of a tribute to WWII veterans in the
Collings Foundation's "Wings of Freedom" tour, which also features a
B-24 Liberator bomber, a P-51 Mustang fighter and a B-25 Mitchell bomber.
The
nonprofit Collings Foundation, based in Stow, Massachusetts, is dedicated to
preserving and displaying vintage aircraft and automobiles.
"Such
an unfortunate situation with an historic aircraft," Connecticut Gov. Ned
Lamont said via Twitter. He said several state agencies had responded to the
scene.
The
four-prop Boeing B-17s were a mainstay of the air campaign against Nazi Germany
and became a symbol of U.S. air power and strategic bombing dominance.
The most recent fatal crash of a vintage aircraft occurred in
Fredericksburg, Texas, in November 2018. The pilot and a passenger, a World War
II veteran, in a P-51 Mustang fighter were killed when the plane, which had
just participated in a flyby, crashed into the parking lot of a housing
complex.
In
September 2011, a P-51 Mustang participating in the Reno Air Races in Nevada
crashed into the crowd, killing the pilot and 10 spectators and injuring 69.
Also in
2011, a restored B-17 known as the "Liberty Belle" made an emergency
crash landing in a field near Oswego, Illinois, when one of its engines caught
fire.
One
person aboard was slightly injured, but another six managed to escape before
the aircraft burst into flames, according to a National Transportation Safety
Board report.
The
"Liberty Belle" was owned by the Liberty Foundation, another
nonprofit that participates in air shows and offers rides to the public on
vintage aircraft.
LINK TO ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/10/02/multiple-fatalities-after-wwii-era-b-17-flying-fortress-crashes-flames.html
