Oh, Crap... B-17 down

Keith Lane

Keith Lane

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Keith Lane
All walked away. Plane looks like toast though

http://www.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=stream3?hpt=hp_c2


Was this one. "Liberty Belle"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwm1049/4453751324/

4453751324
 
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i bet the trees at the end of that field looked really really big
 
About halfway through this tape... you'll only hear the tower, not Superfortress Tango Hotel. One aircraft (Foxtrot Mike) circled overhead, 2 miles SE of the field, to guide in rescue / firefighters.
 

Attachments

  • KARR-Jun-13-2011-1430Z.mp3
    3.7 MB · Views: 22
Dang. I saw that it was in town. Should have taken a ride when I had the chance. Looks like there was an in-flight engine fire and they were returning to KARR, but didn't make it. It was apparently undergoing engine maintenance yesterday, but I have no idea how extensive it was. Since the B-17 can certainly fly without one engine, especially with only 7 on board, I'd surmise that they did an emergency landing due to the fire and were all ready to evacuate the plane the moment it landed. That also would help explain how they were able to avoid impact with anything on the ground. Great job!
 
I hate seeing this because I know it's just another tick on the clock towards none of them flying ever again.
 
And another start to the arguments about whether they should fly or hang in museums. :( Goodbye beautiful airplane. You served well.
 
Glad everyone got out safely, but ugh, what a loss. I got to crawl through a B-17 last year that was painted as the "Liberty Belle", but I think it was painted khaki green rather than the polished aluminum that this one is.
 
Bits of it will live on. There is a restoration (more of a rebuilding) project near here, and I'm certain there are others.
 
Once again, a legendary B-17 gets her crew safely back onto terra firma despite suffering fatal damage herself.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
And another start to the arguments about whether they should fly or hang in museums. :( Goodbye beautiful airplane. You served well.
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True, how about both?

Keep flyin em untill there's one left then hang it.

(gotta save one so copys can be made);)
 
I just talked to one of my friends who posts on another board. He said that they can build one of these around a data plate, so if it survived, there is a possibility of it being rebuilt.
 
gprellwitz said:
Since the B-17 can certainly fly without one engine, especially with only 7 on board, I'd surmise that they did an emergency landing due to the fire and were all ready to evacuate the plane the moment it landed.
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NTSB release seems to confirm reports of inflight fire:

************************************************************
NTSB ADVISORY
************************************************************

National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

June 13, 2011

************************************************************

NTSB INVESTIGATING CRASH OF WORLD WAR II-VINTAGE B-17



************************************************************

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating
Today’s crash of a B-17 (N390TH) vintage airplane. The crash
occurred approximately 3-4 miles southeast of the Aurora
Municipal Airport near Oswego, Illinois. It has been
reported that there was an in-flight fire prior to impact.
There were 7 persons on board. No injuries have been
reported at this time.

NTSB investigator Tim Sorenson will be the Investigator-in-
Charge and is en route to the accident scene. More
information regarding the investigation will be released
when it becomes available.

NTSB Media Contact:
Keith Holloway (202) 314-6100
hollowk@ntsb.gov
Click to expand...
 
And that WASN"T a crash, as the photo above indicates. BZ to the crew for the timely decision to put it down and evacuate.
 
What a loss but what a legacy. That one will be missed.

Kudos to the pilot. That was a fine bit of work.
 
TMetzinger said:
And that WASN"T a crash, as the photo above indicates.
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But the news ladies with the funny hair said it was a crash... they can't be wrong, can they? :nonod:

I read elsewhere (lost the link already, d'oh!) that they had an engine fire on climbout. Eyewitness saw mostly smoke trailing from one engine. Supposedly it was a textbook off-airport touchdown, but obviously the fire got the best of it. Oh well, she lasted a lot longer than her sisters, and never got shot at.
 
rottydaddy said:
I read elsewhere (lost the link already, d'oh!) that they had an engine fire on climbout. Eyewitness saw mostly smoke trailing from one engine.
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Look at the second link that I posted - it was taken when the fire first broke out in flight. The initial fire was well behind the firewall, that's for sure.

I'm not 100% sure it was an engine fire. There is a thread over on the red board where someone mentioned that they were doing some work on that area of the plane the day before - had a panel in the wing removed and were possibly replacing the fuel boost pump.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Look at the second link that I posted - it was taken when the fire first broke out in flight. The initial fire was well behind the firewall, that's for sure.

I'm not 100% sure it was an engine fire. There is a thread over on the red board where someone mentioned that they were doing some work on that area of the plane the day before - had a panel in the wing removed and were possibly replacing the fuel boost pump.
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It does look like the fire is coming from between the engines but that could just be where it broke through the skin.
 
Everskyward said:
It does look like the fire is coming from between the engines but that could just be where it broke through the skin.
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True - the poster on the red board was probably just adding to the specualtion. Looking more closely at the flame, it is slightly on the outboard side of the number 2. The boost pump is located on the inboard side closer to the fuselage.

More photos posted on the Daily Herald:

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110613/news/706139915/photos/

If you scroll through to photo 19, the NTSB is already on scene and they pulled the cowling for the accessory section behind the firewall of the number 2.
 
The flames are NOT coming out of the exhaust. The fire is just outboard of the exhaust outlet. The flames are coming from an area just behind the aft inboard fuel tank.
 
Look how #2 is hanging and how they were able to get it feathered. Looks as it may have started at 2 or its accessory section. It would appear initally that the mount was taking most of the heat by the time they got it on the ground.
 
Account from the Liberty Belle website

http://www.libertyfoundation.org/index.html

libertybelle20110613_600.jpg


"Directly below the B-17 was a farmer’s field and the decision was made to land immediately. Approximately 1 minute and 40 seconds from the radio report of the fire, the B-17 was down safely on the field. Within that 1:40 time frame, the crew shutdown and feathered the number 2 engine, activated the engine’s fire suppression system, lowered the landing gear and performed an on-speed landing. Bringing the B-17 to a quick stop, the crew and passengers quickly and safely exited the aircraft. Overhead in the T-6, Cullen professionally coordinated and directed the firefighting equipment which was dispatched by Aurora Tower to the landing location.

Unlike the sensational photos that you have all seen of the completely burned B-17 on the news, you will see from photos taken by our crew that our Liberty Belle was undamaged by the forced landing and at the time of landing, the wing fire damage was relatively small. The crew actually unloaded bags, then had the horrible task of watching the aircraft slowly burn while waiting for the fire trucks to arrive. There were high hopes that the fire would be extinguished quickly and the damage would be repairable. Those hopes were diminished as the fire trucks deemed the field too soft to cross due to the area’s recent rainfall. So while standing by our burning B-17 and watching the fire trucks parked at the field’s edge, they sadly watched the wing fire spread to the aircraft’s fuel cells and of course, you all have seen the end result. There is no doubt that had the fire equipment been able to reach our aircraft, the fire would have been quickly extinguished and our Liberty Belle would have been repaired to continue her worthwhile mission."
 
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Steve said:
Account from the Liberty Belle website

http://www.libertyfoundation.org/index.html

libertybelle20110613_600.jpg


"Directly below the B-17 was a farmer’s field and the decision was made to land immediately. Approximately 1 minute and 40 seconds from the radio report of the fire, the B-17 was down safely on the field. Within that 1:40 time frame, the crew shutdown and feathered the number 2 engine, activated the engine’s fire suppression system, lowered the landing gear and performed an on-speed landing. Bringing the B-17 to a quick stop, the crew and passengers quickly and safely exited the aircraft. Overhead in the T-6, Cullen professionally coordinated and directed the firefighting equipment which was dispatched by Aurora Tower to the landing location.

Unlike the sensational photos that you have all seen of the completely burned B-17 on the news, you will see from photos taken by our crew that our Liberty Belle was undamaged by the forced landing and at the time of landing, the wing fire damage was relatively small. The crew actually unloaded bags, then had the horrible task of watching the aircraft slowly burn while waiting for the fire trucks to arrive. There were high hopes that the fire would be extinguished quickly and the damage would be repairable. Those hopes were diminished as the fire trucks deemed the field too soft to cross due to the area’s recent rainfall. So while standing by our burning B-17 and watching the fire trucks parked at the field’s edge, they sadly watched the wing fire spread to the aircraft’s fuel cells and of course, you all have seen the end result. There is no doubt that had the fire equipment been able to reach our aircraft, the fire would have been quickly extinguished and our Liberty Belle would have been repaired to continue her worthwhile mission."
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That would have been really really really painful to watch. I don't even like thinking about it. They properly put life before airplane, and because of that, they all walked away. Can't question that.
 
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