B-17 havarerte i USA - 7 omkom - NBC / ASN

"There were fatalities," State Police Commissioner James Rovella told reporters, while not specifying exactly how many were killed. "Victims are very difficult to identify, we don't want to make a mistake."

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The flight took off at 9:45 a.m. before reporting five minutes later that it was having difficulties, authorities said.

"We observed that the aircraft was not gaining altitude," Connecticut Airport Authority Executive Director Kevin Dillon said.

Wreckage of a vintage B-17 bomber plane after it crashed at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut on Oct. 2, 2019.Jessica Hill / AP

The plane tried to return to the airport when it crashed at 9:54 a.m., officials said.

There were 13 people on board the Boeing B-17, two pilots, one attendant, and 10 passengers. Another person on the ground was injured when the plane slid off the runway and slammed into a building used to house the airport's deicing equipment, officials said.

Witness Brian Hamer, who lives Norton, Massachusetts, was less than a mile away from the airport when he spotted the B-17, “which you don’t normally see,” flying low overhead.

Hamer saw smoke coming out the back of the craft and heard one engine sputter.

“Then we heard all the rumbling and the thunder, and all the smoke comes up and we kind of figured it wasn’t good,” Hamer said.

Another witness, Antonio Arreguin, was parked at a construction site 250 yards from the crash when he heard an explosion — and felt the heat from the ensuing fire.

“In front of me, I see this big ball of orange fire, and I knew something happened,” Arreguin said. “The ball of fire was very big.”

Hartford Hospital received six patients from the crash, three were initially listed in critical condition, two in moderate condition and one with just minor injuries, doctors there said.

One of the injured, who survived, is a member of the Connecticut Air National Guard, a rep for the service told NBC New York.

The FAA said the craft was a Boeing B-17 and it went down at the end of Runway 6 and slid off.

Bradley, the second-largest airport in New England, was closed and the FAA put in a ground stop for all arriving flights. One runway of the airport reopened shortly after 1:30 p.m.

Several flights headed for Bradley were diverted to T.F. Green International Airport outside of Providence, Rhode Island, officials said.

The airport — in Windsor Locks, about 15 miles north of Hartford — is hosting a show of vintage World War II craft this week.

Many planes in the "Wings of Freedom" show are owned by Collings Foundation. Bradley Airport confirmed the B-17 that went down Wednesday is owned by that non-profit organization from Stow, Massachusetts.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were on that flight and we will be forever grateful to the heroic efforts of the first responders at Bradley," the foundation said in a statement.

"The Collings Foundation flight team is fully cooperating with officials to determine the cause of the crash of the B-17 Flying Fortress and will comment further when details become known."

The B-17 was once dubbed the “Flying Fortress” and played a key role for Allied forces in Europe.

The crashed B-17 had been one of 18 still registered to fly in the United States, according to Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont.

"The tragedy that happened here may be a source of lessons for others that are still flying these B-17s," Lamont said, adding that investigators have to look "at this plane and the potential causes very carefully."

David K. Li

David K. Li is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.

Jay Blackman

Jay Blackman is an NBC News producer covering such areas a transportation, space, medical and consumer issues.

Date:	02-OCT-2019
Time:	c. 10:00 LT
Type:	Boeing B-17G-30-BO Flying Fortress
Owner/operator:	The Collings Foundation
Registration:	N93012
C/n / msn:	32264
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 13
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:	Windsor Locks-Bradley International Airport, (BDL/KBDL), CT -   United States of America
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Passenger
Departure airport:	Windsor Locks-Bradley International Airport, CT (BDL/KBDL)
Destination airport:	Windsor Locks-Bradley International Airport, CT (BDL/KBDL)

Narrative:
A Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, registration N93012, impacted an airport structure while attempting to return to Windsor Locks-Bradley International Airport (BDL/KBDL), Connecticut.

The aircraft had received clearance for departure from runway 06 at 09:45 hours local time. After takeoff the aircraft made a right-hand turn. At 09:50 the aircraft contacted the Bradley Tower controller for permission to land on runway 06. This was approved. The aircraft crashed as it attempted to land on runway 06. The aircraft came to rest in an airport de-icing fluid farm located 1100 feet to the east of the threshold of runway 06.

Officials reported that there were ten passengers and three crew members on board. Six people were taken to a local hospital.
Seven occupants were killed and the fate of the remaining six is unknown. Also three people on the ground were injured

The aircraft was part of The Collings Foundation's Wings of Freedom Tour. Five historic WWII aircraft were on display at Bradley Airport and scenic flights were carried out.