Seven killed in WW II aircraft crash at Bradley airport in Connecticut

A World War II-era B-17 bomber well-known in New England skies crashed in a fireball Wednesday morning at Bradley International Airport outside Hartford, Conn., killing seven people and injuring seven others, officials said.

Thirteen people were on board the plane dubbed “Nine-O-Nine” — two pilots, one attendant and 10 passengers who had paid to take the flight. A person in a maintenance facility that houses deicing equipment at the airport was among the injured, officials said.

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was one of several World War II-era bombers that frequently visited Massachusetts for public display, including the airports in Beverly, Plymouth and Worcester. The “Nine-O-Nine” was one of only 13 B-17s still flying of 12,731 that were built for the war.

Hartford Hospital said it was treating six survivors from the crash: three in critical condition, two who were moderately injured, and one who was “minimally injured.” Two of the critically injured were being sent to the burn unit at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport.

The plane took off at 9:45 a.m., officials said. Five minutes later, one of the pilots told the control tower there was a problem.

“We observed that the aircraft was not gaining altitude,” said Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority.

The plane was circling back to the airport when it crashed at 9:54 a.m. into the maintenance facility, officials said.

Video from the scene shows a fire and heavy, black smoke rising from the crash.

Officials closed the airport but reopened it at 1:30 p.m. with one runway in operation.

National Transportation Safety Board member Jennifer Homendy said investigators will be looking at the plane’s history and how it was maintained, and she urged anyone who witnessed or recorded the crash or the moments leading up to it to email witness@ntsb.gov.

The board will release a preliminary report within 10 days, Homendy said, but its final report could take 12  to 18 months.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) called for increased scrutiny of tours aboard vintage airplanes in the wake of the crash.

“I think there is a real need for scrutiny and oversight here,” Blumenthal said at a press conference with local officials. “It’s a very strong, flashing red light for others flying these planes.”

The aircraft is owned by the Collings Foundation of Stow, Mass., an educational organization dedicated to the preservation of aviation history.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were on that flight, and we will be forever grateful to the heroic efforts of the first responders at Bradley,” the foundation said in a statement.

“The Collings Foundation flight team is fully cooperating with officials to determine the cause of the crash of the B-17 Flying Fortress and will comment further when details become known.”

The foundation operates the the Wings of Freedom Tour and Vietnam Memorial Flight, according to an online profile.

Stu Cahill contributed to this report

 

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2ptGRNj