Six On Board The Aircraft Survived With Injuries Ranging From Minor To Critical

State officials have now confirmed that at least seven people were fatally injured when a B-17 belonging to The Collings Foundation went down Wednesday at Bradley International Airport (KDBL) in Windsor Locks, CT.

The Hartford Courant reports that the plane went down while trying to make an emergency landing shortly after the plane took off just before 10 a.m. It impacted a building which contained several tanks of deicing fluid. The aircraft was largely consumed by fire, which was fed by the fuel on board the aircraft.

State public safety Commissioner James Rovella confirmed the number of fatal injuries resulting from the accident, adding that seven others sustained injuries ranging from minor to critical. One of those people was on the ground. A firefighter also sustained minor injuries fighting the blaze, according to the report.

An NTSB team arrived on the scene about 4:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. NTSB member Jennifer Homendy said the mission of the board will be "to determine what happened, why it happened and to prevent it from happening again.” Senior aviation investigator Robert Gertz will lead the investigation, Homendy said.

The board is asking anyone who witnessed the accident and could assist with photos or videos to contact the NTSB.

The flight departed KDBL at about 9:45 a.m. Homendy said that the crew reported an issue with the airplane to ATC at about 9:50 and declared an emergency. "We know that the crew circled back to runway 6 and attempted to land on runway 6,” she said.

As the plane touched down, it “impacted the instrument landing system stanchions, veered to the right, over a grassy area, over the taxiway and impacted the deicing facility," she said.

The pilot had reported an issue with the No. 4 engine. Another airplane on approach to KDBL was diverted so that the B-17 could make its landing attempt, according to the report.

(Images from file)

FMI: Source report