Long Beach Pilot Presumed Dead In CT Vintage Plane Crash

LONG BEACH, CA — A Long Beach pilot was presumed dead after a vintage WWII bomber crashed at Bradley International Airport in Hartford County, Connecticut Wednesday morning.

Pilot Ernest McCauley, 75, was presumed dead, along with co-pilot Michael Foster, 71 of Jacksonville, Florida and Mitchell Milton, flight engineer, 34, of Dalhart, Texas.

For 20 years, McCauley flew as a Captain for the Collings Foundation, a nonprofit that showcases historic aircraft, and was the foundation's safety officer. He had 7,300 hours of experience flying the B-17, which was the highest number of hours flying the plane in the United States.

There were 13 people on board — 10 passengers and three crew — at the time of the crash. Officials confirmed that seven people in the plane were killed and six were injured, three critically. Authorities said the plane experienced mechanical problems shortly after takeoff and was crashed while attempting to return to the airport for an emergency landing.

Two airport employees were in the building that was hit by the plane; one was injured. One firefighter was injured but treated at the scene.

Police said that in some cases, the deaths are presumed due to difficultly in identifying bodies.

The Boeing B-17 'Flying Fortress' was one of several warbirds in a nationwide tour by owner Collings Foundation of Massachusetts. The plan began its takeoff about 9:48 a.m., and crashed at 9:53 a.m.

The airport was shut down as local, state and federal emergency responders and crews arrived. By early Wednesday afternoon, state police announced the grim news that they could not provide the number of fatalities as they were having difficulty identifying bodies.

Read more: Update On WWII Plane Crash Probe, Victims, Survivors & Heroes

Patch staffer Ellyn Santiago contributed to this post