Collings Foundation B-17 Crash

Back in the 90's when you could buy stick time on the '17 and the '24, I flew the '17 in 1994, and the '24 in 1996. Something I'll always remember, and looks kind of neat in your log book. Accidents like this continue to drive insurance costs up for warbirds and I'm afraid in not too many years the costs will be so high most of them will be grounded. A sad day for the warbird community and those who lost loved ones.
 
At Bradley Int Airport, Hartford, CT (BDL).

Many onboard had paid $450 for a 30 minute ride.

Based on pilot's call to tower, appears #4 engine failed shortly after takeoff; they were returning to the airport.

Those big radials produce a tremendous amount of asymmetric torque when an outboard engine fails. I seriously doubt there is anywhere to go get simulator training for such a failure for the B-17.

Very sad.

Having read quite a bit about the B-17 operations during WWII, it is stunning to learn how many B-17s crashed on landing back in the UK due to engine failures and battle damage.

Tail draggers are a hand full when all systems are functioning properly. If #4 engine had failed, and likely no simulator training for such an event, I'm sure the pilots were using every skill and technique they possessed to get the plane back safely to BDL.
 
K6ON said:
Back in the 90's when you could buy stick time on the '17 and the '24, I flew the '17 in 1991, and the '24 in 1996. Something I'll always remember, and looks kind of neat in your log book. Accidents like this continue to drive insurance costs up for warbirds and I'm afraid in not too many years the costs will be so high most of them will be grounded. A sad day for the warbird community and those who lost loved ones.
Click to expand...
Most owners carry liability only.

If the Foundation was a non-profit, they may not even have carried insurance. Most non-profits aren't cash cows and officers can't be personally sued for liability unless criminal negligence is proven.
 
K6ON said:
Back in the 90's when you could buy stick time on the '17 and the '24, I flew the '17 in 1991, and the '24 in 1996. Something I'll always remember, and looks kind of neat in your log book. Accidents like this continue to drive insurance costs up for warbirds and I'm afraid in not too many years the costs will be so high most of them will be grounded. A sad day for the warbird community and those who lost loved ones.
Click to expand...
Didn’t you fly this antiques in SE Asia? A-26s?
 
I flew in that plane when it was in Santa Barbara. It was on my bucket list and I would do it again. I have much more respect for those WW2 pilots that brought those planes home in pieces with no modern day simulator training.
 
I've flown on that B-17 "Nine-O-Nine" twice, the last time was this spring when I took my son-in-law along with me. Pilot, co-pilot, and engineer up front, passengers in the back sitting on the floor with lap belts. Once airborne the engineer would give the passengers the all clear and you could get up and walk around and look out view ports and make your way up to the bombardier's spot in the plexiglas nose. What a view flying out over the Pacific coast from that spot. That plane, and the B-24 and others that Collins owns are original configuration. It's a big loss as there are only a few left flying in the world.

Cliff
 
Very interesting to hear all of your stories.
Never flown in one closest I came to a prop job was the COD S2F flight
in Jan of 1965 to land on the Ranger CVA61 in the Gulf of Tonkin ,quite an experience.
Landing on the carrier flight deck rolling and pitching.
I have watched for many years the war birds fly the sky's around Monterey Bay.
Frank
 
During WWII my dad was a mechanic on a flock of P-51s that were trainers down in Hammond, LA. They had rear seats for the instructor. Once in a while he got a chance to fly one of those wonderful planes with an instructor. He talked of bending over to wipe the landing gear as they were loading live ammo and the gun over his head fired multiple rounds. He said he was lucky! Just a couple of years ago we received a photo album from one of his relatives that had photos of that part of his life.
That was the finest generation. It would be almost impossible to do what they did. There aren't many around that could work, think, do what they did. With a salute, Bigfoot Dave
 
Bigfoot Dave said:
During WWII my dad was a mechanic on a flock of P-51s that were trainers down in Hammond, LA. They had rear seats for the instructor. Once in a while he got a chance to fly one of those wonderful planes with an instructor. He talked of bending over to wipe the landing gear as they were loading live ammo and the gun over his head fired multiple rounds. He said he was lucky! Just a couple of years ago we received a photo album from one of his relatives that had photos of that part of his life.
That was the finest generation. It would be almost impossible to do what they did. There aren't many around that could work, think, do what they did. With a salute, Bigfoot Dave
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They were the generation that saved the world!

My dad flew TBF Avengers in the South Pacific.
 
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