STOW, MASS. (WHDH) - STOW, MASS. (WHDH) – The World War II-era B-17 bomber that crashed and burned at Connecticut’s Bradley International Airport, killing at least five people on Wednesday morning, belonged to a Massachusetts-based nonprofit group that supports educational living history events.
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The retired, civilian-registered plane was associated with the Collings Foundation, an educational group in Stow that brought its Wings of Freedom vintage aircraft display to the airport this week, officials said.
The same four-engine, propeller-driven plane crashed in 1987 at an air show near Pittsburgh, injuring several people, the foundation said.
The vintage bomber, which is also known as a Flying Fortress, one of the most celebrated allied warplanes of World War II. Hit by a severe crosswind as it touched down, the bomber overshot a runway and plunged down a hill. It was later repaired.
“It is such a thrilling experience to fly in this plane. It just transports you back in time,” B17 plane sponsor Jim Fanson said.
Fanson who sponsors this particular plane through the foundation said he is stunned and heartbroken to hear the news of the crash.
“I am just stabbed in the heart with grief and sorrow,” he said. “it’s just such a tragic loss.”
In the hours following the tragedy, the foundation issued a statement that said, “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 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 Collings Foundation was founded in 1979 by Robert and Caroline Collings with a mission to preserve and publicly display transportation history, according to its website.
“Of course it is expensive to maintain and operate these aircraft and so they solicit donations,” Fanson said. “You can purchase a ride on an aircraft but beyond that, you can become a plane sponsor and make a donation to assist with the program.”
The foundation also has a museum that offers plane rides.
“My heart just goes out to the victims, to the injured, to the families and to the Collings Foundation,” Fanson said. “It’s a terrible tragedy. Obviously, we need to understand what went wrong, what caused the accident and take corrective actions to minimize the likelihood of something like this happening again.”
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