Questions surround records of crashed WWII bomber

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is seeking answers on whether the Collings Foundation reported prior engine problems as part of an inquiry he is requesting from the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA allows vintage aircraft like the B17 Flying Fortress that crashed, killing seven in Connecticut Wednesday, to give flights to the public for a fee.

Blumethal said Monday during a press conference that documents indicate that Collings’ request for an extension of its exemption — allowing the Massachusettsbased company

to use 10 vintage warbirds for passenger trips for a fee — was approved by the FAA in 2018.

The FAA’s Living History Flight Experience exemption allows vintage war planes that have met the agency’s standards for training and maintenance to fly with the public on board with a special limited airworthiness certification.

The B17 Flying Fortress, restored by the Collings Foundation as a replica of the “Nine0Nine” which flew 140 combat missions in World War II, crashed minutes after taking off from Bradley International Airport on Wednesday morning. Pilot Earnest “Mac” McCauley radioed air traffic controllers that he was having a problem with engine four and needed to return to the airport about 4 minutes after he had taken off with 10 passengers. The plane hit transmission towers before the runway and crashed into a deicing building, National Transportation Safety Board officials said.

McCauley, his copilot and five passengers died. The plane’s technician and five other passengers survived with varying injuries. An airport employee in the deicing building was also injured. Blumenthal, DConn., said witnesses reported that the plane was having engine problems before the crash. According to an FAA document sent to the foundation in March 2018, the organization must report any major system problems or failures on the their exempt planes within 24 hours.

Passengers had paid $450 for Wednesday’s flight, which was part of the LHFE exemption program. Under the FAA policy, vintage aircraft owned by museums and foundations can fly passengers for a donation or fee, which is used to help maintain the planes.

Blumenthal is asking the FAA to review the policy and safety protections to determine if they are adequate.

In a letter he sent to the FAA Monday, Blumenthal also wanted information on how many exemptions have been granted, and he questioned whether the foundation had maintenance logs at another location, since the documents appeared to have been stored on the aircraft that crashed and burned.

“These planes are a profoundly significant part of our history and they should be revered and preserved but respected with adequate safety standards if they are going to be flown, and that’s why a broader examination and investigation is absolutely necessary here,” Blumenthal said.

On Friday, the Collins Foundation announced that it is suspending its flight operations and the Wings of Freedom Tour for the remainder of the 2019 season. It said it is in the process of issuing refunds for those who reserved flights through December.

“The Collings Foundation flight team is fully cooperating with officials to determine the cause of the crash of the B17 Flying Fortress and will comment further when details become known,” the foundation announced.

The NTSB and the FAA are investigating the crash.

Jesse Tinsley / Associated Press In a photo from July 1, Ernest “Mac” McCauley, a veteran pilot who volunteered with the Collings Foundation, works on one of the ninecylinder radial engines on a B17 Flying Fortress bomber on display at the Spokane International Airport in Spokane, Wash. McCauley, 75, of Long Beach, Calif., and his copilot were among seven people killed when the bomber crashed and burned last Wednesday at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks.

Kassi Jackson / TNS Emergency crews respond to a WWII B17 bomber crash just before 10 a.m. at Bradley International Airport on Oct. 2 in Windsor Locks.