B17 "Liberty Belle" Crashes Near Sugar Grove, IL

[ricktk]

From Chicago Tribune: "A vintage World War II bomber crashed and burned in a field southeast of Aurora Municipal Airport this morning, but the seven people on board escaped without injury, according to aviation officials.

The plane, a B-17 known as a "Flying Fortress," took off from the airport at 9:30 a.m. and went down about three or four miles from Aurora about 20 minutes later, according to Elizabeth Isham Cory, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration. "The plane is burning. We believe the seven people on board escaped without injury.

The pilot made an emergency landing in a cornfield near Highway 71 and Minkler Road in Oswego after reporting an engine fire, according to Sugar Grove Fire Chief Marty Kunkle. Fire Departments from Oswego, Sugar Grove and Plainfield on the scene.

he plane was manufactured in 1944 and is registered to the Liberty Foundation in Miami, Fla., Cory said. She believed the plane was the "Liberty Belle," which has been restored by the foundation. The plane was at the Aurora Municipal Airport on Saturday and Sunday, according to the foundation's website.

The "Liberty Belle" was sold on June 25, 1947 as scrap to Esperado Mining Co. of Altus, Okla. and was sold again later that year to Pratt & Whitney for $2,700, according to the foundation's website.

Whitney operated the B-17 from Nov. 19, 1947 to 1967 to test turboprop engines. It was donated in the late 1960s to the Connecticut Aeronautical Historic Association in East Hartford, but was heavily damaged in 1979 when a tornado threw another aircraft against the B-17’s mid-section, breaking the fuselage, the foundation said.

It was stored in the New England Air Museum in Connecticut until the foundation began restoring it.

[bismarck]

Sad news, but happy to hear that the crew is safe.

Giorgio

[Victory103]

Glad no one was hurt, hate seeing this as more and more warbirds are getting restored.

[maddog65]

Glad everyone made it out safe, but as Victory said hate seeing a beautiful warbird go away.
The warbird museum here recently restored a B-17G "Chuckie". It was beautiful to see it fly during the Warbirds over the Beach Air Show.

[ricktk]

In follow up, aircraft had 7 persons aboard, crew and volunteers from the Liberty Association, owners of the aircraft. The aircraft had just left Aurora Mun. (KARR), on the way to Indianapolis. All exited safely. Fire was in the port side outboard engine. The pilot managed to set the plane down in a gap between a relay tower about 60 to 70 feet high and a line of trees 25 to 30 feet high, into a plowed field. The association also had a P-40E Warhawk at Aurora over the weekend. The P-40 flew on to Mount Prospect. The association has another B17 being refurbished.