A tragic plane crash involving a vintage plane Wednesday taking off from Bradley International Airport in Wind Locks, Conn., resulted in fatalities.
The same plane, a B-17 World War II bomber, was at Jamestown (N.Y.) Airport in August, providing rides to local residents.
Reports indicate the B-17 took off from a runway at the airport at 9:45 a.m., with 13 people on board, and was reporting issues within five minutes of take-off. It attempted to return to the airport, according to several media outlets, and crashed at 9:54 a.m., sliding off the runway and striking a building where the airport’s de-icing equipment is stored. A maintenance worker on the ground in the building was injured as well, per officials on scene.
The plane erupted in a fireball, and the plume of smoke could be seen from buildings in downtown Springfield.
While James Rovella, Connecticut Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP), declined to confirm the number of fatalities during a press conference Wednesday afternoon, sources at the scene reported that at least five people were killed, and rescuers at that time had not been able to reach the front of the plane, where the pilot and co-pilot were seated.
Hartford Hospital has confirmed that six patients were transported to their facility; three with critical injuries, two with moderate injuries and one with minor injuries. Officials say that patients were also taken to the Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital and St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport.
According to a release from the Collings Foundation, which owns some of the aircraft and organizes the Wings of Freedom Tour visits throughout the US, the B-17 Flying Fortress “Nine O Nine” was one of nine remaining still in flying condition in the country.
A statement from the Collings Foundation regarding the crash included the following:
“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 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.”
Several flights headed for Bradley International at the time of the crash were diverted to an airport near Providence, Rhode Island.
A tweet from Bradley International Airport indicated the airport was reopened by 1:48 p.m. However, the Federal Aviation Administration said it put in a ground stop for all flights headed for the airport.
The visits to Jamestown, N.Y., and Windsor Locks, Conn., where Bradley International Airport is located, were two stops on a 110-city tour for the fleet of vintage planes. The plane was also at Boire Field in Nashua, N.H., from Friday through Monday, at which point it made the 40-minute flight to Bradley.
Per the Collings Foundation in August, the Nationwide Wings of Freedom Tour is in the midst of celebrating its 30th year and visits cities in 35 states annually, making this one of the most unique interactive traveling historical displays of its kind. Since its start, tens of millions of people have seen the B-17, B-24, B-25, P-40 & P-51 display at locations everywhere.
