Thursday, October 3, 2019

Seven dead after WWII B-17 plane crashes, erupts into flames at Bradley Airport


October 3, 2019 (NBCNews) Seven people aboard a vintage World War II plane were killed Wednesday when it crashed shortly after takeoff, erupting into flames at Bradley International Airport, just outside of Hartford, Connecticut, authorities said. State Police Commissioner James Rovella told reporters at an evening news conference that the families of all but three of the victims had been contacted. The flight took off at 9:45 a.m. before reporting five minutes later that it was having difficulties, authorities said. "We observed that the aircraft was not gaining altitude," Connecticut Airport Authority Executive Director Kevin Dillon said. The plane tried to return to the airport when it crashed at 9:54 a.m., officials said.

A Boeing B-17 used by the U.S. military during World War II. Many such heavy bombers were deployed in Poltava during the operation “Frantic Joe” 
There were 13 people on board the Boeing B-17, two pilots, one attendant, and 10 passengers. Another person on the ground was injured when the plane slid off the runway and slammed into a building used to house the airport's deicing equipment, officials said. Witness Brian Hamer, who lives in Norton, Massachusetts, was less than a mile away from the airport when he spotted the B-17, “which you don’t normally see,” flying low overhead. Hamer saw smoke coming from the back of the craft and heard one engine sputter. “Then we heard all the rumbling and the thunder, and all the smoke comes up and we kind of figured it wasn’t good,” Hamer said. Another witness, Antonio Arreguin, was parked at a construction site 250 yards from the crash site when he heard an explosion — and felt the heat from the ensuing fire. “In front of me, I see this big ball of orange fire, and I knew something happened,” Arreguin said. “The ball of fire was very big.” Hartford Hospital received six patients from the crash, three were initially listed in critical condition, two in moderate condition and one with just minor injuries, doctors there said.



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