Bradley Airport WWII Plane Crash Probe: Search For Answers

WINDSOR LOCKS, CT — Three days after the pilot of a 75-year-old Boeing B-17G touring bomber crashed while trying to land at Bradley International Airport, killing seven and injuring six, the search for answers continued Friday. On Thursday, the names of the victims were released at an emotional press conference and state and federal authorities vowed to get answers as to what caused the crash. State Police Commissioner James C. Rovella cryptically said Thursday "we have concerns" over what caused the crash, but he didn't elaborate.

National Transportation Safety Board officials say investigators would begin to remove the wreckage today and that a preliminary report will be released within 10 days of the crash. A full report won't be available for up to 18 months.

While a team of 10 investigators comb through the wreckage for clues all we have are the facts that have been released along with the well-documented history of the plane.

The facts

On Wednesday Oct. 2 at 9:48 a.m., the World War II 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.

What's known is that within a couple of minutes, witnesses say and investigators have found, the plane experienced engine problems and was not able to gain altitude. Flight Aware shows the plane took off at 9:48 a.m. and crashed at 9:53 a.m. and 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."

A statement from Bradley International Airport was posted to Twitter soon after the crash saying there was an accident involving a World War II aircraft that resulted in an active fire with a rescue operation underway noting the airport was closed.

The Federal Aviation Administration halted all flights in or out of the airport for nearly four hours Tuesday. Officials confirmed identified the seven people killed and six injured. A firefighter was treated at the scene and an employee inside the de-icing building was injured.

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

The Plane Crash Victims

Killed were:

Pilot Ernest 'Mac' McCauley, 75, of Long Beach, California

Co-pilot Michael Foster, 71 of Jacksonville, Florida

Gary Mazzone, 66, of Broad Brook, Connecticut
James Roberts, 48, of Ludlow, Massachusetts
Robert Riddell, 59, of East Granby
Robert Rubner, 64, of Tolland, Connecticut

Injured were:

Flight engineer Mitchell Milton, 34, of Dalhart, Texas

Andy Barrett, 36, of South Hadley, Massachusetts

Linda Schmidt, 62, of Suffield, Connecticut

Tom Schmidt, 62, of Suffield, Connecticut

Joseph Huber, 48, of Tariffville, Connecticut

James Traficante, 54, of Simsbury, Connecticut

David Broderick, 56 of West Springfield, Massachusetts

Andrew Sullivan, 28, of Enfield, Connecticut

So what happened to cause the crash of the bomber owned by the Collings Foundation of Stowe, Massachusetts? A federal investigation report from a 1987 crash examined by Patch may provide clues. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont vowed that investigators would "get to the bottom of this."

Day 3 of the investigation

National Transportation Safety Board member Jennifer Homendy, investigation lead, said Wednesday evening that the agency will be looking at the plane's history and how it was maintained.

By Thursday, Homendy said that the NTSB had received witness reports stating that they saw work being conducted on one or two engines before takeoff.

She 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. Homendy said it 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.

A witness told The Associated Press that he heard an engine sputter with smoke plumes coming out of the back of the plane, saw it make a wide turn to return to the airport. He described a "rumbling and the thunder" coming from the craft.

Vintage World War II-era bombers are listed as having been involved in 21 accidents investigated by the N.T.S.B. since 1982, when its database began. Three were B-17Gs. All those crashes killed 23 and injured one before the latest accident is included. There are 16 B-17Gs currently registered in the U.S., the last among thousands turned out during the war.

The plane's last major inspection was in January 2019. Investigators requested documents including inspection and maintenance records, officials said at a press conference Thursday at Bradley Airport. The NTSB also has requested training records of the flight crew and a transcript of the conversation between the crew and the air traffic control.

Homendy said the standard for a safe plane is zero incidents. In the case of the B-17, she said, "I think 21 incidents is tragic and 23 deaths is completely unacceptable."

Investigators began moving the wreckage Friday.

The World War II B-17G Flying Fortress heavy bomber, owned by the Collings Foundation was at Bradley as part of its Wings of Freedom Tour, according to the foundation's Facebook page.

The NTSB investigation findings from a 1987 crash: weather, pilot error

The plane dubbed the "Nine-O-Nine" by Collings crashed in 1987 in a Pittsburgh airshow when it "overshot the runway" while attempting to land. Three were injured in that crash at Beaver County Airport where, it was reported, "gusty winds" caused the bomber to "plunge down a hillside as thousands of spectators were waiting for the show's finale."

According to a Patch search of the N.T.S.B. accident database, there was one serious injury and two minor injuries in the crash. The official crash investigation report found that during an approach in gusty winds, the pilot noted a right cross-wind and said that after touchdown, “the roll-out was stabilized for a short distance, then the right wing began to lift. He tried to “maintain control, but was unable to stop on the remaining runway. The plane continued “off an embankment at the end of the runway and was damaged.”

The investigation found that the crash was caused by four factors: a gusty crosswind, excessive airspeed, and the pilot misjudged the runway and landing distance and a “go-around was not performed by the pilot.”

The unnamed pilot was 72.

The N.T.S.B. report states that damage to the plane was "substantial."

It's reported the Collings Foundation said the damage to the plane was repaired.

In 1995, the plane was damaged on landing in Nebraska. There were no injures.

A year ago, the Collings Foundation raised $75,000 to replace an engine that failed

Last year, Collings did a fundraising campaign to raise $75,000 for an new engine: From a Facebook post, the foundation wrote that on "September 15th, after a flight, the crew started looking into issues that they experienced and after inspection, the engine was determined to be failing."

It's not clear if it is the same engine involved in the Oct. 2 crash at Bradley. The plane has four engines. The engine the foundation replaced in 2018 was engine number three.

In its ask for donations, the foundation wrote that its "beloved" B-17 Flying Fortress 'Nine-O-Nine' was "undergoing a #3 engine replacement in Burlington, Vermont.

"On September 15th, after a flight, the crew started looking into issues that they experienced and after inspection, the engine was determined to be failing. A spare engine was sent out, but unfortunately that spare encountered additional problems and a second spare is enroute to Vermont as you read this."

Collings wrote that "engine replacements performed 'on the road' are very costly, with total expenses soaring well above $75,000 - and even more when considering the expense of a second spare engine as we are encountering now."

The foundation said that it's the "flight experience donations received from visitors flying in 'Nine-O-Nine' are a very important part of keeping the Wings of Freedom Tour flying across the nation each year, so the loss of this fundraising makes it even more tough."