Details are minimal at this point, but it has been reported that a B-17 Flying Fortress crashed while landing at Bradley International Airport.
The plane is a B-17, according to the Windsor Locks Fire Department.
The airport confirmed that the plane is a Collings Foundation World War II aircraft. The airport is closed, it said.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it has put in a ground stop for flights destined for the airport.
Injuries have been reported, but again details are minimal. The aircraft was one of five on a tour.
The aircraft are a B-17G Flying Fortress heavy bomber, a B-24J Liberator heavy bomber, a B-25 Mitchell medium bomber, a P-51 Mustang fighter and a P-40 Warhawk fighter.
The airplanes will be open noon to 4 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, and 9 a.m. to noon Thursday. The cost is $15. Flights are available. For details check the Collings Foundation website, www.collingsfoundation.org, or call 978-562-9182.
Obviously, tour plans are now on hold. The B-17 was one of the iconic aircraft of World War II; these tours bring a little bit of that history back to life and generate the money needed to maintain these historic aircraft. The trade-off is that it also puts them at risk. It’s a tough choice; a static display in a museum can only convey so much, and even restored archival footage like “The Cold Blue” can only go so far.
The NY Times does not have much more than the Hartford Courant linked above.
The plane, which was described as a vintage B-17 bomber, crashed into a building at the airport, according to local media reports. The airport was closed as a result of the accident.
A hospital in Hartford said it was awaiting several casualties from the crash, according to local news reports.
Bradley is the main commercial airport in Connecticut and is home to the New England Air Museum, which houses a number of vintage aircraft.
The nonprofit Collings Foundation promotes “living history” events. Founded in 1979, it focused on “transportation-related events” and in the mid-1980s expanded to include “aviation-related events” like airshows, according to the foundation’s website. Since 1989, the foundation has focused on the “Wings of Freedom Tour” featuring World War II aircrafts.
Hoping for better news than we have so far…
UPDATE: Here’s the wikipedia link on the B-17 that was just lost, Nine-O-Nine. She’d had a long career, including several previous accidents, but had been returned to flight after them. It sounds like this is the end of her career. Ave atque vale, and condolences to the families.