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U.S. NEWS Thursday 3 OcTOber 2019

World War II-era bomber crashes; at least 7 reported dead

By CHRIS EHRMANN and one of the most celebrated
DAVE COLLINS allied planes of World War
Associated Press II _ was used to take history
WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. buffs and aircraft enthusi-
(AP) — A World War II-era asts on short flights, during
B-17 bomber with 13 peo- which they could get up
ple aboard crashed and and walk around the loud
burned at the Hartford and windy interior.
airport after encounter- “Right now my heart re-
ing mechanical trouble on ally goes out to the fami-
takeoff Wednesday, and lies who are waiting,” Gov.
a state official said at least Ned Lamont said. “And we
seven were killed. are going to give them the
The four-engine, propel- best information we can as
ler-driven plane struggled soon as we can in an hon-
to get into the air and est way.”
slammed into a mainte- The National Transportation
nance shed at Bradley In- Safety Board sent a team
ternational Airport as the to investigate the cause of
pilots circled back for a the crash.
landing, officials and wit- The plane was a few min-
nesses said. utes into the flight when the
It had 10 passengers and pilots reported a problem
three crew members, au- and said it was not gain-
thorities said. ing altitude, officials said. It
The state official who gave lost control upon touching
the death toll was not au- down and struck the shed
thorized to discuss the in- just before 10 a.m. Wreckage is seen where World War II-era bomber plane crashed at Bradley International Airport
vestigation and spoke on The airport _ New Eng- in Windsor Locks, Conn., Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019.
condition of anonymity. land’s second-busiest _ Associated Press
Connecticut Public Safety was closed afterward but
Commissioner James Rov- reopened a single runway gain altitude. show near Pittsburgh, in- helped break the Nazis’ in-
ella said hours after the about 3½ hours later. One of the engines be- juring several people, the dustrial war machine.
crash that some of those Flight records from FlightA- gan to sputter, and smoke Collings Foundation said. The B-17 that went down
on board were severely ware shows the plane had came out the back, Ham- Hit by a severe crosswind was built in 1945, too late
burned, and “the victims traveled about 8 miles (13 er said. The plane made as it touched down, the to see combat in the war,
are very difficult to iden- kilometers) and reached a wide turn and headed bomber overshot a runway according to the Collings
tify.” an altitude of 800 feet (244 back toward the airport, and plunged down a hill. It Foundation.
At least six people were meters). he said. was later repaired. It served in a rescue squad-
taken to the hospital, three In recordings of audio trans- “Then we heard all the rum- The crash reduces to nine ron and a military air trans-
of them critically injured, missions, the pilot told an bling and the thunder, and the number of B-17s active- port service before being
authorities said. One per- air traffic controller that he all the smoke comes up, ly flying, said Rob Bardua, subjected to the effects of
son on the ground was also needed to return to the air- and we kind of figured it spokesman for the Nation- three nuclear explosions
hurt. port and land immediately. wasn’t good,” Hamer said. al Museum of the U.S. Air during testing, the founda-
The retired, civilian-regis- Asked why, he said: “Num- Antonio Arreguin, who had Force, near Dayton, Ohio. tion said. It was later sold as
tered plane was associated ber four engine, we’d like parked at a construction Boeing-built B-17 Flying For- scrap and eventually was
with the Collings Founda- to return and blow it out.” site near the airport, said he tresses _ 74 feet (23 meters) restored. The foundation
tion, an educational group Brian Hamer, of Norton, did not see the plane but long, with a wingspan of bought it in 1986.
that brought its Wings of Massachusetts, said he was heard the explosion and 104 feet (32 meters) _ were “This is kind of shocking.
Freedom vintage aircraft less than a mile away when could feel the heat from used in daylight bombing It’s a loss to lose a B-17,”
display to the airport this he saw a B-17, “which you “this big ball of orange fire” raids against Germany dur- said Hamer, whose father
week, officials said. don’t normally see,” fly di- about 250 yards away. ing the war. The missions served in the Air Force. “I
The vintage bomber _ also rectly overhead, apparent- The same plane also were extremely risky, with mean, there aren’t very
known as a Flying Fortress, ly trying without success to crashed in 1987 at an air high casualty rates, but many of those left.”q