Is this one of the ride along planes I've seen over NYC? Bummer either way. CNN: WWII-era bomber crashes at Hartford-area airport. https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/02/us/connecticut-plane-crash-trnd/index.html
Sounds like maybe an landing issue or runway overrun from initial reports. Hope everyone is OK and the plane is repairable. And yeah that looks like its probably the Collings Foundation's B17. They give rides on it.
Large plum of black smoke is not a good sign. Hopefully all on-board are OK. And it'd be great if it wasn't a total loss of a great old airplane.
Well, that sucks. I really like the mission these folks promote and provide. It’s always a great honor to be around and talk to the old guys who served in that period of time.
Dang I know we've discussed it on here before, but I HATE it that they give rides in airplanes like this. Most people don't fully understand what they are signing up for.
An amazing experience in a highly cared for and maintained airplane with multiple backup engines and decades of safe operation?
I'm in the industry as well. I don't want to argue or speak for anyone else. I just personally don't like it.
Not good. Photos show whats left into some fuel storage tanks. They appear to be pretty far off runway..so it could be a mechanical or loss of control if ti was TO/Landing issue. One news outlet reporting 3 crew 10 pax 1 on ground injured. Possibly a couple deaths, the rest in the hospital. RIP And to Steve's point I thought about how old the plane was last time I got on a Ford Tri Motor for a ride. Just remember it can go south at anytime in planes, boats, cars, bikes, etc....
Video I saw, showed that only the tail section, and the LH wing remained. Looks like the rest of the plane burned up completely. Not good.
Pilot apparently reported inflight problem after approx. 5 minutes in the air, he was attempting to return to BDL. 5 souls confirmed lost...Ugh. RIP I'd still jump at the chance to fly in an old warbird. Life is short, and filled with risk on any given day. .
Every time I see one of these stories I'm reminded of the guts those kids in WWII had when 10's of thousands of these were flying.
No kidding. I know an old guy who was a B-17 BN in the PTO '43-'44. He'd lied about his age, he was 17 when he joined up. He was very reluctant to discuss his time in the USAAF. Reading between the lines of what he's shared, he saw some pretty horrific stuff. He said after all that, nothing scared him any more. .
real heros from google The average age of a bomber crew member was just 22 years of age. Prior to 1944, each crew had to complete 25 combat missions to be eligible to come home. Nevertheless, statistics at the time showed that each crew member had a average of a 1 in 4 chance of making it or about 12 to 14 missions.
Welp, gonna use this opportunity to give props to my dad. Just one of many like him from that era. 82nd Airborne, Company C, 504th. Joined October, 1943; 28 years service. 2X Purple Heart, Bronze Star w/ Oak Leaf Cluster (Vietnam). WWII, Korea, Vietnam 2X. Passed away at 80 in 2005. Book about 82nd (he's quoted in it):
Was talking to one of the old guys who served as a tail gunner. He said the unfortunate thing about being short was they were automatically assigned to that position. I can’t imagine being on one’s back, feet up above, subject to whatever temps in that globe, for all the hours they’d turn a mission. Plus, they had a full view of the enemy trying to shoot them down. Tougher men than I.
My absolute favorite airplane, these b17s are amazing machines. If you have seen some of the planes that returned from missions that seemed impossible for it to make it back with such damage. They were the toughest plane in the sky. I have a pretty cool RC B17 it’s pretty awesome. RIP to the ones that did not make it.
I think that would have been the ball turret gunner. The tail gunners accommodations were palatial by comparison. Dad was a tail gunner in a B-29.
