B17 just crashed in Connecticut

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/b...ford-area-airport/ar-AAIawuF?ocid=mailsignout


I hope everyone onboard is ok

Early accounts are three taken to the hospital.

An eyewitness reports the #3 engine began to sputter and smoke after takeoff. B-17 quit climbing and began a wide left turn to return to the field. Didn't make it. Video below also has an aerial view of what's left of the B-17, about the only recognizable thing is the left wing.

Man, that's awful.

That is a tragic accident

As of my reading, 2 are confirmed dead. Unknown if they were among the 6 injured (3 crit) or not.

Bummer, I've flown on that plane with my son.

Aside from any loss of life which is paramount.
The loss of that historic aircraft is tragic.
So few left. WW2 era aircraft are so sexy.
It is fun to watch them fly.
We get so used to the speed of jets that when you see one it looks like it is just hanging in mid air.

Apparently the aircraft was Nine-o-nine, a ship with a proud war time record.

At least 2 dead.

Very sad

Very Very sad.

Holy crap! This is the 909 my SO and I have flown on 6 times. It was used as a test bed for radiation exposure from an atomic bomb, then turned to forest fire fighting before the Collins Foundation restored it. It would fly up here at the Museum Of Flight in Seattle around Father's Day every year and the two of us would fly on it. It's odd to me that one engine out would down a B-17. Something else happened as a result. Fire and smoke may have entered the cockpit rendering the crew incapacitated. I also wonder if ingestion occurred.

That is what I was thinking
Cut off offending engine, apply fire suppression, and feather the prop
I am sure a B17 can fly on 3 engines and less

My prayers are out to the family's

My deepest condolences to the passengers, their families, and the Collings Foundation. The first article on this that I saw said there were 13 people on the plane and one person injured on the ground. That number is smaller in current articles, so there may be better info out now.

I toured 909 when it came to Seattle, though I was mainly there for the B24.

News said it made it back on the ground but they lost control and it rolled into the airport's de-icing equipment.

I also toured the 909 with my son when it was in San Diego two springs ago. What a shame.

boatgeek said:

My deepest condolences to the passengers, their families, and the Collings Foundation. The first article on this that I saw said there were 13 people on the plane and one person injured on the ground. That number is smaller in current articles, so there may be better info out now.

I toured 909 when it came to Seattle, though I was mainly there for the B24.

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Was that during SeaFair, we had a B-17 and a B-24 that came to Pasco about that time along with a P-51, and and an AT-6 Texan iirc.

rharshberger said:

Was that during SeaFair, we had a B-17 and a B-24 that came to Pasco about that time along with a P-51, and and an AT-6 Texan iirc.

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It was a few years ago, maybe in late July? I don't think Collings comes during Seafair. I'd guess there's too many other planes in the air then with the Blue Angels in town. They had the B-17, B-24, P-51, and a B-25. I have vague memories of another fighter, but can't place which one.

according to wiki there are only 10 airworthy B-17s left. The B-24 we saw last summer is either the last or one of two or three airworthy B-24s (depending on source).

boatgeek said:

It was a few years ago, maybe in late July? I don't think Collings comes during Seafair. I'd guess there's too many other planes in the air then with the Blue Angels in town. They had the B-17, B-24, P-51, and a B-25. I have vague memories of another fighter, but can't place which one.

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According to the story in today's Seattle Times there are now 7 dead.

Collings is the only groups that runs a B-24, B-17, B-25 and mustang, along with others, I flew on all three of the bombers, plus their Huey over the years.....and also aluminum overcast that the EAA operates, it's a real sad day.

9-0-9 ground looped at an airshow in Beaver Falls Pa., back in 1986 or 1987. The story was the Captain want everyone to get good pictures, so he landed at midfield. He didn't get the plane stopped in time and ran off the runway. I was a A&P student at the time and helped rebuild the bomb bay doors and rebuild and recover the elevators. There was alot of belly damage also, but I was not involved in that part.

Apparently they clipped part of the ILS system on landing and that caused them to veer off the runway toward the buildings...according to reports.

I live near Chicago Executive airport and Collings would bring these planes here once a year for display. I've walked around and climbed in, out and around that plane many times over the years.

Very sad

I found this guy provides good information. He's a commercial aircraft pilot in real life and does a great job of breaking down the data.

Oh, ****! I'm hoping the co pilot was not who I think it might be. I worked with his (future) wife at Convair and have gotten a ride in that bird. We met up years later at an airshow my company sponsored and she introduced me. Almost joined the traveling circus with my A&P. Prayers for all involved. Gotta get details from my son living in Seattle.

@fyrwrxz you do realize this was 2.5 years ago?

Tractionengines said:

@fyrwrxz you do realize this was 2.5 years ago?

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Nope, no clue. Completely off my radar for some reason. Dang, kinda embarrassing. Still very sad. thanks for saving me from an embarrassing call to my son, who would try to get me committed.

fyrwrxz said:

Oh, ****! I'm hoping the co pilot was not who I think it might be. I worked with his (future) wife at Convair and have gotten a ride in that bird. We met up years later at an airshow my company sponsored and she introduced me. Almost joined the traveling circus with my A&P. Prayers for all involved. Gotta get details from my son living in Seattle.

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https://theaviationgeekclub.com/collings-foundation-b-17g-nine-o-nine-crashed-because-the-pilot-lowered-the-landing-gear-too-early-which-lead-to-the-aircraft-landing-short-of-the-runway-ntsb-says

McCauley, 75, of Long Beach, California, was a veteran pilot who colleagues said had great skills flying the B-17G. He and co-pilot Michael Foster, 71, of Jacksonville, Florida, were killed in the crash, along with five of the 10 passengers. The plane’s mechanic, Mitchell Melton, of Hawkins, Texas, was the only crew member to survive.

Dave F.

This post made me go back and search for any updated analysis of the accident. Here is one article:


It sums up the NTSB findings and is very critical of the organization that was in charge of the aircraft and their lack of procedure/process. Equally baffling is how the FAA dropped the ball as well. Read the article to see how. I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise given the stereotypes of big government organizations. Ultimately though, the primary cause of the accident is attributed to the pilot.

Such a sad situation, the loss of life and loss of an irreplaceable aircraft.

The loss of life is tragic. Prayers for the families of the crash victims.

Here is an old link to the outfit where some of these warbirds come from. It weaves an interesting story of a stray cat called Warbird Bob. He was taken in and became a permanent resident around the hangars. http://web.archive.org/web/20110829000136/http://www.warbirdbob.com/

Yikes, that's disturbing! I never saw the NTSB report. I bought tix for a flight for me and my girlfriend, the year before the crash. The pilots and ground crew were on top of it, I thought...