A vintage World War II plane that visited Moffett Field as part of the Wings of Freedom tour was involved in a fatal crash in Connecticut last Wednesday.
The plane, a B-17 “Flying Fortress” bomber, reportedly experienced an engine failure just minutes after taking off from Bradley International Airport near Hartford, Conn. on Oct. 2 The aircraft ended up crashing into an airport building, reportedly killing seven people and injuring seven others.
The B-17 plane was owned by the Collings Foundation, a nonprofit that maintains a large collection of World War II vintage aircraft. The organization is best known for coordinating an annual Wings of Freedom tour to showcase its historic planes at airports across the country.
The Wings of Freedom tour has visited Moffett Field each May for more than a decade. The B-17 was one of the event’s main attractions, and it was promoted as one of the last bombers of its type that was still airworthy.
During visits to Moffett and other airports, the Wings of Freedom organizers offered visitors short rides on the B-17 and other vintage aircraft at the cost of $450 per person. It was reportedly during one of those paid flights that the B-17 ended up crash landing at the Connecticut airfield.
In a brief statement, the Collings Foundation representatives said they were working with authorities investigating the crash.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were on that flight,” the organization wrote. “The Collings Foundation flight team is fully cooperating with officials to determine the cause of the crash of the B-17 Flying Fortress.”
On Oct. 4, the foundation announced on its website that it was suspending its flight operations for the remainder of 2019 and is processing refunds for people who had reserved flights through December.
Email Mark Noack at mnoack@mv-voice.com
