Famous B-17 Liberty Belle crashed this morning in Illinois

by james_woods 21 Replies latest social entertainment

  • james_woods
    james_woods

    Update - one of the experts (in fact a very senior ex-Boeing engineer) has theorized that this was a wing fire, not an engine fire. The area which can be seen to be on fire in the photographs is at the rear of the left wing, between the two engines. He notes that there is a fuel manifold here, with many hose connections, and that in this area is an electric wing flap motor - so that a fuel leak here could lead to disaster. The flap motor would likely have been used as it was shortly after takeoff.

    The pilot put the plane down perfectly, on all three wheels, but the fire could not be put out and eventually consumed the plane. I have a series of photographs but cannot post JPGs here - but it is obvious that the pilot did not crash it; he made a good emergency landing in the field and it just burned up.

  • sizemik
    sizemik

    That would appear to be the picture that is emerging james . . .

    This following report from Daily Press.com said in part . . .

    The plane, christened the "Liberty Belle," took off from the Aurora Muncipal Airport at 9:30 a.m. and landed near Highway 71 and Minkler Road in Oswego after the pilot reported an engine fire, according to Sugar Grove Fire Chief Marty Kunkle.

    Gerry Yagen of Virginia Beach, a pilot of WWII aircraft, spent time on the phone and trading emails Monday, trying to learn more about the crash. He noted that the pilot landed successfully, without crashing, and the aircraft might have been spared had the fire not spread.

    "The pilot made a fantastic landing," said Yagen, of the Aviation Institute of Maintenance.

    The Liberty Belle was built toward the end of WWII and never saw combat. But it is representative of the workmanlike bomber that flew countless missions over Europe and elsewhere. It is owned by the non-profit Liberty Foundation.

    At the time of its visit in 2009, the Liberty Belle was one of only 14 B-17s that were still flying.

    A photographer captures the moments after a World War II-era B-17 bomber makes a fiery emergency landing in a cornfield southeast of Aurora Municipal Airport today. Seven crew members and volunteers walked away without serious injury, officials said. ( Photo by Dan McHale / June 11 , 2011 )

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit