Lawrenceville, Georgia Tour Interrupted, Other Schedules May Be Impacted

Beware of our fine feathered friends... or they may mess up your bomber!

At approximately 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 20, EAA's B-17G, Aluminum Overcast, suffered some minor damage to a wing from an apparent bird strike during a landing approach to Gwinnett County Airport/Briscoe Field near Lawrenceville, Georgia, during the B-17 tour stop. The damage was discovered after the B-17 flight experience had landed, and the apparent bird strike did not cause any disturbance or complications during the flight.

Aircraft technicians are currently inspecting the airplane to determine and repair any damage that might have occurred with the bird strike, which took place between the right side engines.

As a precautionary measure, the remainder of this weekend's flights at the Lawrenceville tour stop were canceled following the incident. Determination of upcoming B-17 tour stops will be made after a complete inspection of the bird strike area.

EAA's Aluminum Overcast was built in 1945, but was delivered to the Army Air Forces too late to see active service in World War II. The B-17 was donated to the EAA Aviation Foundation in 1981 with the provision of the aircraft being maintained in airworthy condition. After being displayed at the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh for a decade, the airplane made its national tour debut in the spring of 1994.

FMI: www.eaa.org