CONNECTICUT — A World War II-era aircraft crashed Wednesday morning at Connecticut’s Bradley International Airport, and a fire and rescue operation is underway.
Officials confirmed that there were fatalities, Fox61 in Connecticut reported. Additionally 14 people were injured in the crash – 13 on the plane and one on the ground.
The Boeing B-17 bomber that was on tour in the area crashed on landing according to officials. Connecticut State police confirmed there were injuries. Smoke and flames are visible throughout the area and a medical helicopter has been called to the scene.
The FAA confirmed that airport officials have closed the airport, and the FAA has put in a ground stop for flights that are destined for the airport.
“A vintage Boeing B-17 crashed at the end of Runway 6 while attempting to land at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn., at 10 a.m. It is a civilian registered aircraft, not flown by the military. Local officials will release information about the people aboard. We will update this statement when we get new information,” said the FAA in a statement.
Bradley Airport tweeted: “We can confirm that there was an accident involving a Collings Foundation World War II aircraft this morning at Bradley Airport. We have an active fire and rescue operation underway. The airport is closed. We will issue further updates as information becomes available.
The Collings Foundation had brought several planes to Bradley this week, including the B-17G that crashed. a B-24 –Liberator, a B-25, a P-51 – Mustang fighter, and a P-40 Warhawk.