"Liberty Belle" B-17 Lost In Aurora Illinois (6/13/2011)

[DEEPNHOCK]

One of only 15 flyable B-17 flying fortresses went down in a field right after takeoff in Aurora, IL.
Seven people were on board, and all got off safely.
The planes center section burned and the airplane was destroyed...
Jeff

[DEEPNHOCK]

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/B-17-Bomber-Crashes-in-Suburbs-123748444.html

(copy)

There were no apparent injuries Monday morning when a World War II-era B17 bomber caught fire while in flight and crash landed in a field near Route 71 and Minkler Road in Oswego.
There were initial reports that at least some of the seven passengers walked away from the plane.



A restored B17 Flying Fortress has been using Aurora Airport as a base for the past week, offering paid flights to the public over the weekend through the Liberty Foundation, a not-for-profit organization.
Ray Fowler, Liberty Foundation chief pilot, said there was an in-flight fire. He said officials have not yet determined what triggered the blaze and are just starting to gather information.
The plane had been grounded by engine problems as recently as June 6 when rides scheduled for media members and World War II veterans were canceled at the Aurora Airport.

[DEEPNHOCK]

OSWEGO (WLS) - A vintage World War II aircraft made an emergency landing in a cornfield near west suburban Oswego on Monday morning, and all seven people on board escaped without injury.
The "Liberty Belle", a B17 plane built in 1944, took off from Aurora Airport in Sugar Grove at 9:30 a.m. Monday and landed in a field about 5 miles from the airport just a few minutes later, according to FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory.
PHOTO GALLERY: http://wlsam.com/sectional.asp?id=40783&cid=1

A spokeswoman for the Oswego Fire Dept. said the incident occurred near Route 71 and Minkler Road. Isham Cory said it was about 3 miles southeast of the airport.
There were seven people aboard the plane when it went down, and all seven escaped without injury, Isham Cory said.
Sugar Grove Fire Chief Marty Kunkel said shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported a fire on board.
"He attempted to make a return to the airport, but couldn't make it so he put it down in a cornfield," Kunkel said.
The plane was on fire and fire crews from Oswego, Sugar Grove and other departments were on the scene, but were having difficulty getting to the crash because of "extremely wet fields," Kunkel said.
The plane was burning in the field but it was too muddy for fire trucks to get to," Clow International Airport Manager Joe De Paulo said.
A media flight scheduled for last Thursday was cancelled after the plane experienced engine trouble in its No. 3 engine. "Liberty Belle" pilot Mike Walton said the flight was cancelled after the plane began "throwing codes", meaning warning lights were activated on the aircraft's control panel.
Several residents reported seeing the plane flying low with flames coming out of the it.
By 10:30 a.m., most of the black smoke from the crash had dissipated, but flames were still visible. Firefighters were shooting water on the plane.
The plane was part of the Liberty Foundation’s 2011 Salute to Veterans at the Aurora Municipal Airport.
The FAA will investigate.

[DEEPNHOCK]

Here's a video from recent times...

http://youtu.be/-F8fM2DP0wk

[Michidan]

This absolutely sucks

[JBOYLE]

Terrible....
Glad everyone is okay, that's the main thing.
And concerning the aircraft, the B-17 has more survivors than any other WWII heavy bombers.

Another two or three are being restored to flight, so her place will soon be filled.
Still, I hate to see any mechanical object that survived 65 years meet its end...whether it be a car or plane.

And another reason to make lemonade out of this lemon of an event...as I said no one was hurt.
If there had been serious injuries among the paying passengers, I'm sure the feds would have stopped the history flights that help get funds to keep the planes in the air.

[StudeDave57]

oh my

Not good news to be reading first thing in the morning...

I'm glad I got a chance to see her in happier times~



For more/better info, this thread will certainally be one to watch-

http://www.warbirdinformationexchang...hp?f=3&t=41377

Those guys live & breathe Warbirds much like we do Studes.

I can't say much more- I'm too emotional right now...

[BobPalma]

This defines ANTI-cool beans. Crap!

'Glad everyone is OK; it would have been so much worse had even one WWII vet lost his live taking a "memory flight."

Still; this is easily the worst news of the day. Things have to improve from here. BP

[mbstude]

Very sad news indeed. It's upsetting to see an old War Bird meet her end. I suppose it's a good thing that she survived this long.

[Gunslinger]

The important thing is all got out...outside of that important part, losing another of these aircraft really bites. In many mishaps the craft is rebuildable but not in this case. Maybe there are some parts left that can be recycled into getting a few more flying that are undergoing restoration. If so, that's at least something good coming out of losing it.

[JBOYLE]

The important thing is all got out...outside of that important part, losing another of these aircraft really bites. In many mishaps the craft is rebuildable but not in this case. Maybe there are some parts left that can be recycled into getting a few more flying that are undergoing restoration. If so, that's at least something good coming out of losing it.

That plane has had nine lives, it was a five engine test-bed for Pratt & Whitney and was destroyed by a freak tornado in Connecticut in the late 70s so it basically had a new-build center fuselage.
Engines, outboard wings and tail are salvageable or have salvageable parts.
It was owned by Don Brooks as a tribute to his dad who was a B-17 tail gunner in the war. Hopefully, he'll rebuild this or another plane. (B-17s occasionally come up for sale with prices in the $2 million + area).

Let's be optimistic...
The shop that rebuilt the plane is rebuilding another B-17 that was found (with a smashed forward fuselage) in a Labrador lake. They have a fuselage jig, so perhaps another fuselage could be built.
And judging by the work being done in Urbana, Ohio (just NE of Dayton) in restoring a B-17 tells me that they could probably build a new fuselage from scratch...and there are still a few sections out there to help form the basis for a possible rebuild.
If you're in the area, visit the Urbana project, its open to the public and they welcome visitors. Great place to stop on a tour or a chapter meeting. www.b17project.com

If you're interested in B-17 history, there is a new 4th edition of Final Cut, by Scott Thompson. It details the histories of all surviving B-17s.
At $24.95 it's a steal. And it even includes a couple of photos I took....
www.aerovintage.com

[JJWMACHINECO]

This is very bad news. I was fortunate enough to go inside it when it came to Tallahassee back in October. Wanted to go for a flight in it, but it was hard to part with $400 for 1/2 hour of fun. Some kid got yelled at by one of the ground crew for climbing over the barrier into the cockpit. OK, unfortunately that kid was me. I could not help myself, it was so cool. There were 3 Studebaker engines in it and I got cell phone pictures of the engine tags, which was not easy because I'm so short.

The Other Jeff

[studegary]

To me, the most important thing is that no lives were lost.

Maybe it didn't dawn on some, but Oswego is the longtime home to Larry & Pat Swanson (when they are not in AZ for the Winter in recent years).

The owner of the dealership that I last worked full time in was a surviving WWII POW from being shot down in a B17.

[BobGlasscock]

What Michidan said, This just sucks!

[Chris_Dresbach]

I agree, this is horrible news. Glad everyone is OK. I do hope that at least the Stude engines are saved if this one can't be rebuilt, or something.