7 dead, 7 injured in crash of World War II bomber at Conn. airport By Christine Dempsey, The Hartford Courant 42 mins ago
Ad 00:22 - up next: "Multiple fatalities after WWII-era plane crashes near Connecticut airport"
Video by NBC News
HARTFORD, Conn. — At least seven people were killed and seven were injured when a World War II-era bomber crashed shortly after taking off from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks Wednesday morning, officials said.
The B-17G bomber crashed shortly before 10 a.m. local time, bursting into flames and sending up a large plume of smoke that could be seen for miles. Airport Administrator Kevin Dillon said the aircraft crashed into an airport building as it was trying to make an emergency landing.
State public safety Commissioner James Rovella would not say how many were killed. “It’s far too early to say," he said during a briefing at the Sheraton hotel at the airport.
He confirmed there were 10 passengers and three crew members on the bomber. One person on the ground was injured when the airplane struck a small building and tanks that hold de-icing fluid.
The airplane was largely consumed by the fire, which was fed by the aircraft’s fuel. The left wing and tail appear to be all that remains of the airplane. The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a “go team” to the airport to investigate the crash. The Connecticut State Police, the FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Homeland Security also are investigating.
The bomber was owned by the Collings Foundation, a Massachusetts nonprofit that restores World War II-era aircraft. The aircraft travel the county and are open for people to tour. The Bradley stop was the organization’s third in Connecticut in the past month.
The organization also offers 30- to 40-minute flight experiences on its aircraft. It was departing on one of those flights when the crash occurred. It was one of five planes, two fighter planes and three bombers, that were at the airport this week for tours and flights through the organization’s Wings of Freedom Tour. The B-17 was one of about 10 in the country considered to be airworthy.
a boat parked in a parking lot: Emergency crews respond to a WWII B-17 bomber crash that happened just before 10 a.m. at Bradley International Airport Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019, in Windsor Locks.
1/8 SLIDES © Kassi Jackson/Hartford Courant/TNS
Emergency crews respond to a WWII B-17 bomber crash that happened just before 10 a.m. at Bradley International Airport Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019, in Windsor Locks.
The four other aircraft Collings flew into Bradley on Monday remain at Tac Air on the airport’s east side.
Click for Full Text!
Poster Comment:
When you decide to go up in a vintage aircraft you take your life in your hands.
The way things are about flying these days, I would never get on a commercial aircraft. I am likely on the no fly list anyway.