Vintage World War II Plane Crashes Outside Chicago (B-17)

WKRC ^ | 6/13/2011 | WKRC

[TSgt]

A WWII bomber plane crashed and caught fire near Chicago Monday morning. No one was injured.

Seven people were onboard the plane. Officials say they all walked away from the crash.

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was at airport in Oswego, Illinois, to mark the 67th anniversary of D-Day. The bomber was grounded over the weekend due to mechanical problems and took off from Sugar Grove Airport at 9:30 a.m. The Daily Herald profiled the plane and D-Day event over the weekend.

The restored B-17, called "Liberty Belle," is owned by Liberty Foundation. The plane was at Lunken Airport on June 19, 2010 where the public was invited to fly on it for a fee of $430.

[Jack Deth]

What a sad loss!

I believe that same bomber was kept in one of the maintenance hangars on the Reserve (East) side of Andrews AFB several years ago prior to its annual air show.

Climbed inside and was astounded at how cramped and crowded the interior was behind the flight deck. Yet, it was fun to touch some honest to God history.

[PilotDave]

The pilot reported an inflight fire shortly after take off. He put it in a field shortly after that as the fire worsened. Great airmanship! Many folks would wait too long in that situation and cost lives.

[Gator113]

She was so very beautiful. Thanks for posting that pic.

[kalee]

When I told my daughter she said, “OH NO, I have pictures of Daddy and me when we went to see her.”

[Ronaldus Magnus]

It was a beautiful aircraft representing tens or hundreds of thousands of hours of restoration work. Thankfully no one was injured in this terrible accident. However, it would have been the ultimate WWII reenactment to get to see it go down in flames over that European-looking Illinois countryside!

[tanknetter]

The 8th USAAF ( for which the B-17 was the main bomber) lost 26,000 men over Europe. That number is GREATER than the total USMC KIA in all of WW II. Of the Marine deaths, almost 8,000 occured taking Iwo Jima.

Been watching "WWII in HD" on History Channel too?

;-)

[BikerJoe]

I’m glad all survived, but what a sad loss of our history.

I look forward to hearing the foundation's plans. Seems to be a fair amount of her remaining, and some of these preservation groups have built flying aircraft from a LOT LESS of an original.

Sigh, I guess I'm the eternal optimist. (Besides, she's flown over my house about a hundred times. We were right on the tour flight path every year.)

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

My late uncle flew a B-17 in Europe during the war. His plane was all shot up over Germany, but he limped the aircraft back to his base in England a made a survivable crash landing. My uncle injured his back in the crash landing, and a military doctor told him he would have serious back problems in 20 years. Twenty years later, in the 1960’s, my uncle DID have a lot of back problems, which ended after he had a steel rod placed inside his back.

I saw one of these B-17’s at an air show at the Maine Air National Guard base, part of Bangor International Airport in Maine, in late May of 2000. I stood next to the spot where the plane taxied after it landed, and watched the whole crew disembark.....they were all wearing vintage World War II uniforms and/or flight gear. It was a thrill.

The only upside to this sad crash is the spare parts that will help to keep other B-17’s flying.

[Kakaze]

I walked that aircraft twice....................Thank god everyone got out.

She will be missed.

[McGruff]

That's sad. Hopefully somethings can be reused on another one.

[CodeToad]

We had a B-17 event here at Centennial this weekend. Sad to see one of the few last remaining B-17s crash.

[magslinger]

Some pics of battle damaged B-17’s at this site:
http://www.daveswarbirds.com/b-17/contents.htm

[ken5050]

Yup..it was great program. My dad was in the 8th..he flew C-47s..got shot down twice over France, made it back both times..I spent 4 years in the Marines, and remember the long discussions at Quantico over whether Iwo was worth it..that's when I first learned about the aircrews that were saved.

What I really enjoyed about the History Channel program was that for the first time, it explored in depth the strategy of "sacrificing the bombers" to get the German fighters..it's long been one of those thngs best left unsaid..

[catnipman]

Oh man, this really sucks! I rode on this plane when it was in the Denver metro area a few years ago. Took pics through its Norden bomb site during my bombing run over the very center of the Denver downtown just a few hundred feet above the skyscrapers! Way cool!

[Nailbiter]

ping

[Stonewall Jackson]

One of my grandfather's best friends was a waist gunner on a B-24. He and the nose gunner combined to shoot down an Me-262 jet, but a second jet got them and they spent a week making it back to friendly lines.

In addition, an elderly gentleman who comes into my store quite often always wears a hat with the number of his squadron. I asked him about it one time and he told me he was a tail gunner on a B-17 that flew out of North Africa and Italy. I looked up his unit (I can't remember the number) and they were specialists in going after naval vessels in the Med and the Adriatic.

[tanknetter]

Seems to be a fair amount of her remaining, and some of these preservation groups have built flying aircraft from a LOT LESS of an original.

Main spar is gone; she won't be a rebuild. Her tail could be used in other projects, but it looks like the inner parts of her outer wing panels are trashed as well.

[William Tell]

july4thfreedomfoundation said: "My late uncle flew a B-17 in Europe during the war."

As did mine. I was pleased to find a web site which described his crew and plane. He was shot down in January '44 and spent the remainder of the war as a POW. Just three of his crew survived.

[Squantos]

I have been on that aircraft a few years back when it stopped over in Amarillo Texas. My girl friday thought I was nuts for buying a ride in it. Best coin I ever spent. A view of history that will always be a good memory.

Stay Safe...

[mc5cents]

She flew over my house too when she was here for an airshow at Niagara Falls AF Reserve airbase. I got to see her and take a peek inside. Those men who flew her were amazing. I just looked around and thought to myself that I don't think I could crawl into one of those and take flak. God bless those brave men who went to war in her.

Too bad she was lost in such an inglorious way.