WWII bomber crashes near Aurora, all 7 aboard said to be OK

Source: Chicago Tribune

By Gerry Smith, Cynthia Dizikes and Carlos Sadovi
Tribune reporters
1:04 p.m. CDT, June 13, 2011

A World War II "Flying Fortress" bomber crashed and burned in a cornfield southeast of Aurora Municipal Airport this morning, but the seven people on board escaped without serious injury, officials say.

The B-17 took off from the airport at 9:30 a.m. and went down about three or four miles from Aurora about 20 minutes later, according to Elizabeth Isham Cory, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration. "We believe the seven people on board escaped without injury."
....

The plane was headed to the Indianapolis Regional Airport and was due to arrive at about noon, according to Allisa Pipes, an airport spokeswoman. The plane was scheduled to give flights to the media today and was expected to offer flights to the public over the Father’s Day weekend, Pipes said.
....

The pilot managed to set the plane down in a gap between a relay tower about 60 to 70 feet high and a line of trees 25 to 30 feet high -- around 500 yards from (the home of a witness, Jim Barry). "He did a great job," Barry said.



Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chibrknews-crews-responding-to-incident-involving-wwii-bomber-20110613,0,5852034.story

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No, this is not an episode of the Twilight Zone. Back in the summer of 1993, I saw and went through a B-17 and B-24 touring the country. There is no room to spare inside either plane. The planes I was in were operated by the Collings Foundation. The B-17 that crashed was operated by the Liberty Foundation.

The Collings Foundation

:argh:

We built nearly 13,000 of them during the war, but nowadays there are only about 30 left in existence. It would be a shame to see that number continue to drop.

They bring them around to show people what the planes that actually participated in these missions were like.

I suppose they could use replicas, but it's not quite the same.

Making and keeping these airworthy is much more historical in nature and important than glueing one together and sticking it into a museum. There's nothing like showing my 6 year old the sound of 4 big-ass radial engines flying over and explaining the history of the plane. Keep 'em flying.

Look, I get it. My grandfather was a navigator on two B-24's in WW2 and I can certainly understand the nostalgia in wanting to see them fly. Unfortunately, these planes were built in wartime with the expectation that they'd see 3-5 years of flight time, and no more. The fact that some of them are still in the air 60 years later is a testament to the craftsmanship of their builders and the dedication of the people working on them today, but we're still faced with the inescapable fact that EVENTUALLY something will go wrong with each of them. It may take another 50 years until the last one is pulled from the air, but it will happen no matter how badly we'd like to keep them up there.

It's better to retire them from flight now, so we can preserve the largest possible number for museum use. I was just at open cockpit day at the Castle Air Museum a few weeks ago, and my 7 year old son got to climb inside of their B-17 and sit at the controls, which was an experience he'll never forget. Sure, it's not the same as watching one cruise by overhead, but the more we preserve now, the longer we'll be able to experience them in the future.

What a shame that it has gone down. Not too many B-17s left that are still flying. Note: My father was a B-17 pilot in Italy and North Africa near the end of WWII. He'll be disappointed to hear about the crash. We bought him a ride on another B-17 a few years ago, and they let him take the wheel for awhile during the flight.

downtown St. Paul airport, but I never heard it. Oddly enough, I used to see it every year in California when I lived there. It flew right over my house.

Season 5, Episode 10: The 7th Is Made up of Phantoms
Original Air Date—6 December 1963
Three 1960's Army National Guard soldiers on maneuvers near the Little Big Horn battle site find themselves unwittingly involved in Custer's last stand.

IMDB

:shrug:

In fact, I had forgotten about it.

There was an episode of the TZ where a man in a hospital thinks he has just survived the crash of a plane in the desert. Another one that dealt with a plane out of time involved a jet that gets lost in the clouds and goes back to 1939. Rod Serling like the theme of time shifts involving lost aircraft.

Twlight Zone episodes

Thanks for writing.

A classic.

TZ was one of the best of TV shows.

I particularly liked:
Season 5, Episode 26: I am the Night - Color Me Black
Original Air Date—27 March 1964
The sun won't rise on a small town where an execution is scheduled to take place.

I am the Night - Color Me Black, part 1
I am the Night - Color Me Black, part 2

My dad is a fan of old bombers and has ridden in both the Liberty Belle and the Sentimental Journey. There are only about a dozen of these planes still airworthy, so losing even one is a big loss.

I'm glad to hear that the crew and passengers got out OK though. That's rarely the case when vintage planes go down.

There aren't too many of these old birds around any more. The Collings Foundation has a two-day stop at the small airport very close to my house. There is no mistaking the sounds of the 17's engines when it's flying into town.

My son took a ride in one of the Collings Foundation's B-17 a few years ago. He's been a WWII buff since he was a child so it was the thrill of his life.

I've never seen that one in person either.

Of course, it's a miracle ( a word I don't use lightly) that everyone got out OK. Obviuosly, whatever went wrong, the pilot was able to retain enough control to land it upright.

Yes, there's only a few still flying, but fly they must. With B-17s, there's actually quite a few in museums and such, so it's not like there aren't gonna be any for future enthusiasts to look at. It would be different if there weren't any non-operable ones extant.

There's one that's currently touring the west coast and it flew RIGHT OVER our house on Friday morning! Nice 'n low - what a treat to see and hear. There's simply NOTHING like the music created by numerous radial piston engines singing in unison. Nothing!

Dates Details
June
6/1 - 6/3 Stockton, CA (B-17, B-24 & P-51)
Airport: Stockton Metropolitan Airport
Location: TBD
-
6/3 - 6/6 Sacramento, CA (B-17, B-24 & P-51)
Airport: McClellan Air Park
Location: Ramp on Freedom Park Drive
-
6/6 - 6/8 Santa Rosa, CA (B-17, B-24 & P-51)
Airport: Sonoma County Airport
Location: Sonoma Jet Center
-
6/8 - 6/10 Vacaville, CA (B-17, B-24 & P-51)
Airport: Nut Tree Airport
Location: Mountain West
-
6/10 - 6/12 Concord, CA (B-17, B-24 & P-51)
Airport: Buchanan Field
Location: GA Transient Ramp
-
6/13 - 6/15 Klamath Falls, OR (B-17, B-24 & P-51)
Airport: Klamath Falls Airport
Location: General Aviation Ram

:( My son and I "visit" this plane every year when it comes to down. It's a horrible loss.

http://www.ultimatespringtx.com/photos/716/photo/100152-wings-of-freedo

It's was in my area and I was happy to watch it fly over my house twice last week.

Glad all got out okay but the historical loss of this plane bums me out. I got to walk through the Nine O Nine many years ago. Amazing how cramped they are. Couldn't even imagine being the ball turret or tail gunner.

I feel a kinship with these old warbirds since my uncle who I never got to meet died in a B-24 training accident 8 years before I was born.

It's been touring Northern California, not Illinois. Plucketeer and I probably viewed the same wonderful airplane in it's flying glory, the Nine 0 Nine.

Seven crew members and volunteers walked away without serious injury after a World War II "Flying Fortress" bomber crashed and burned in a cornfield southeast of Aurora Municipal Airport this morning, officials say.

"It looked like nothing could survive that," said Drew Mundsinger, whose home was about 500 yards from the smoldering crash. "The scary thing is, it was heading right at our house. It made my heart race up a beat. I can clearly look straight out at it.”

The B-17, christened the "Liberty Belle," took off from the airport at 9:30 a.m. and made an emergency landing in a cornfield near Highway 71 and Minkler Road in Oswego after the pilot reported an engine fire, according to Sugar Grove Fire Chief Marty Kunkle. Witnesses said he set the plane down between a tower and a line of trees.

One person on the plane was treated at Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora and released, hospital spokeswoman Courtney Satlak said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chibrknews-crews-responding-to-incident-involving-wwii-bomber-20110613,0,5852034.story

Glad all came out ok. Amazing skill by pilot. I probably have seen that one as well either at an air show on on the ground touring our county airport.

Glad also they weren't flying some WWII vets like these WWII warbird bombers do. Could have been bad trying to evacuate them.

Reminds me of the photos & films I've seen of the damaged bombers in WWII.

Interesting, I used the same word in post #11. Bummer!

"Liberty Belle's" sister, the 'Nine O Nine” made two flights over my house for the three events held in my area las week. I never get tired of the low throaty sound on those radial piston engines; you feel that as much as her them.

Come out on a hot weekend and you can watch some incredible flying in some really old airplanes.

When the ground warms, those guys go wild.

Sonoman

Complete rebuild down in Ignacio in the late eighties. The owner's father, a retired Wright's Field test pilot and old school wing specialist, rebuilt the wings and tail section; his last certified set.

A single engine Stearman, even with our 330 hp fuel injected engine, didn't quite move the earth like four 1200 horsepower engines singing in unison on a war bird.

Are you familiar with any parties operating at 'The Turkey Farm' north of the airport?

My dad flew a B-24 in WWII, and was shot down in it also. I would love to see one still in operation.

year they had an operational B-24.

http://www.collingsfoundation.org/cf_schedule-wof.htm

He was the only survivor of the 10 man crew. He spent a year as a POW.

I am very happy that no one was hurt in this crash but it's sad to see this historical planes disappear.

It was quite a thrilling sight. Terribly sad that such a fine piece of aviation history is now destroyed.

I actually had the Honor to go inside the
"Miss Angela" @ the Palm Springs Air Museum
recently. An incredible experience. Its
appears larger than it is, once inside the
Cockpit was cramped, all the stations were.
A very tiny walkway from fore to aft along
the top of the Bomb Bay. Zero creature comfort.
And no heat or pressurized cabin at high
altitude. an Amazing machine.

Perhaps the remaining few should be grounded
and preserved? A Priceless Icon of the 20th
Century. Risking them for Airshows isn't worth
losing them. I think.