B-17 Bomber Pilot Ernest 'Mac' McCauley: What We Know

WINDSOR LOCKS, CT — Ernest 'Mac' McCauley had logged some 7,300 hours in the air flying the Boeing B-17G WW II bomber that crashed with him at the controls at Bradley International Airport Wednesday.

McCauley, 75, and five others, including two crew members and four passengers, were killed.

On Wednesday Oct. 2 at 9:48 a.m., the WWII bomber began its takeoff from Bradley Airport. Aboard were three crew and 10 passengers, who would have paid several hundreds dollars each for the experience.

Within a couple of minutes, witnesses say and investigators have found, the plane experienced engine problems and was not able to gain altitude. Witnesses were reported to have said the plane appeared to have problems and loud sounds were heard before the crash. The pilot tried to circle back and return to the runway but lost control and at 9:53, the plane crashed into a de-icing maintenance building at the end of Runway 6 and burst into flames.

Recordings from air traffic control and Windsor Locks police and rescue describe a terrifying crash and its aftermath: "A B-17 has crashed. A B-17 has crashed."

Six other passengers, a firefighter and airport worker were injured.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

Thursday the N.T.S.B. said the pilots reported engine trouble minutes after takeoff and requested a return to Bradley. On its descent, witnesses said it appeared to be flying with its right wing lower than its left. The plane struck an approach light 1,000 feet from the beginning of the runway and then clipped more than two dozen break-away approach lights as it raced down Runway 6 before crashing.

What we know about McCauley

McCauley, of Long Beach, California, had flown as a captain for the plane's owner the Collings Foundation for 20 years. He was the foundation's safety officer, officials said. And, the N.T.S.B. said he spent more time flying a B-17 than any other captain piloting that craft.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration airman registry, McCauley was a licensed commercial airline pilot and was also a licensed airplane mechanic. His last medical exam was in January of 2019. He was required to wear "corrective lenses," the record shows. It also lists his address as being in Lake Havasu, Arizona. His license specifies that he was certified for the B-17.

The general speculation among those who had worked with him, knew or had flown with him, was that he cold not maintain control of the plane on its return to the runway after developing engine trouble: "He had no chance," one wrote.

McCauley was pilot of the B-17 for a national tour of WWII plans & bombers

In July, the foundation's Wings of Freedom Tour flew into Spokane, Washington. At the time, McCauley spoke at length with The Spokesman Review.

McCauley told a reporter "I fly this every single day," when speaking about the B-17. He spoke about his passion for the craft which flew 140 mission "and never had a mechanical abort or came home with an injured crew member." He said it was the "considered the luckiest plane in the Eighth Air Force." He said that the plane "had 609 patches, which covered holes from bullets or anti-aircraft shrapnel, when it was flown home to be cut into scrap."

McCauley told a reporter in July the plane, "now painted to honor the 'Nine-O-Nine' actually flew sea rescue missions out of Panama with a boat affixed to its bottom." He said it costs "$250,000 a year to keep it in the air."

“This is such a great airplane ...(s)he doesn’t like crosswinds too much. When the weather is really rough, it’s like wrestling a gorilla. For the most part, it’s a pleasure to fly.”

Tributes to pilot McCauley came pouring in after the crash

"Thank you Mac for all the great memories and for all the lives you have touched my friend," wrote pilot Gary Peters of Idaho on Facebook

A friend, Richard Binder of New Hampshire, posted a tribute to McCauley.

"The pilot, Mac McCauley, was an expert pilot and had flown tens of thousands of hours in Nine-O-Nine over the past 20 years. He was also a good friend of mine. He had reported a problem with the aircraft on takeoff and was trying to bring his passengers and airplane down safely when the accident happened. My heart goes out to those injured and killed in this accident and to the Collings family, who are also my friends. This photograph is the last photo I made of Nine-O-Nine, taken as she was departing Auburn-Lewiston Airport in Auburn, Maine, bound for Nashua, New Hampshire, on Friday afternoon, 27 September 2019. I will miss that aircraft, but I will miss Mac more. May he, and those who are gone with him, rest in peace and rise in glory."