B-17 Which Went Down Monday Near Chicago A Total Loss

Crews attempting to remove what's left of the B-17 "Liberty Belle" following an emergency landing and fire in a cornfield near Chicago Monday struggled in muddy conditions through the night Tuesday.

YouTube Frame Capture

A Kendall County Sheriff's Office spokesman told the Naperville (IL) Sun that workers would continue the process until all of the remains of the airplane were removed from the field, but they were being hampered by the soft ground and the threat of more rain. The spokesperson said additional rain would make it more difficult for flatbed trucks and cranes to remove the large sections of the airplane that remained intact after the fire.

The NTSB had also asked that members of the public stop coming to the site of the accident to take pictures of the plane. Lead investigator Tim Sorensen said that the wreckage would be removed to an off-site location for further examination, but that the board did not want that location made public.

Sorensen also identified John Hess as the PIC of Liberty Belle when she went down. Hess reportedly managed to avoid houses and a nearby school in maneuvering the plane to a wheels-down landing in the cornfield. It is not yet known what started a fire in the No. 2 engine shortly after takeoff Monday.

Liberty Belle had been restored to flying condition by The Liberty Foundation in Miami, FL, at a cost of some $3.5 million. It was one of only 11 thought to be in flyable condition.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov