Idiocy destroys a WW2 B17 Flying Fortress ...

[dogtag]

As I've said before, I see absolutely no excuse for crashing planes,
especially one like this - Mmm, they don't make 'em anymore - so let's
learn to maintain them so the engines don't quit when aloft.
And if you're just a mediocre pilot then get out of the cockpit.
(couldn't land with three engines ?) War time pilots landed with
just two quite often plus the plane all shot to pieces.
I remember when some idiots restoring a B29 set fire to it, totally
destroying it. These treasures from the war like everything else are
subject to Murphy's Law, "If anything can go wrong, it will" so
let's make sure there's nothing to go wrong.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...nnecticut.html

[lyman]

not a pilot,
but how many wartime pilots took off (granted, not carrying a bomb load) with out all 4?


sad to hear of the fatalities

[Roadkingtrax]

Dogtag, are you a multi-engine rated pilot with tail wheel endorsement? I'd even settle for you knowing the firing order of a Wright Cyclone.

Reserve judgement for the NTSB, and have a bit of respect if it's not too much to ask. Water in the fuel is bad for more than one engine.

[togor]

Unclear how many more years some of these original birds can still go up. Sad for everyone involved.

[Allen]

I started to post this article myself when it first happened but at the time there was no mention of survivors, deaths or injuries. Now it's updated so not only the lose of an irreplaceable historic airplane but also irreplaceable human life.

Airbus had a mishap years ago demonstrating one of their new commercial airliners at an airshow. The plane carried a few family and friends for the ride. The plane crashed and killed most or all of them. According to the program carrying passengers was to be prohibited from that day on due to the dangers that comes with airshows such as loops, dips, flying low, touch and goes, and etc. Now this happens years later.

[dogtag]

not a pilot,
but how many wartime pilots took off (granted, not carrying a bomb load) with out all 4?


sad to hear of the fatalities

Why would war time pilots take off without a bomb load ?
Isn't dropping bombs on the enemy the primary function
of a bomber in wartime ?
I'd assume those wartime bombers always took off with 4 running engines.

[Roadkingtrax]

Why would war time pilots take off without a bomb load ?
Isn't dropping bombs on the enemy the primary function
of a bomber in wartime ?
I'd assume those wartime bombers always took off with 4 running engines.

You don't show a fundamental understanding about anything regarding aviation or history.

Better let the NTSB do the heavy lifting on this one. Preliminary report will be out in a couple weeks.

[Allen]

I was told by an Eastern Airlines mechanic that most multi-engine planes can fly with one engine and of course land. They just can't take off with one engine. Don't know about 4 engine planes but surely they can fly on 2 if not heavily loaded.

In this case what affected one engine may have affected all 4.

[dogtag]

I was told by an Eastern Airlines mechanic that most multi-engine planes can fly with one engine and of course land. They just can't take off with one engine. Don't know about 4 engine planes but surely they can fly on 2 if not heavily loaded.

In this case what affected one engine may have affected all 4.

Why would one affect all four ? Wartime bombers often came back on 3 or 2 even 1 engine.

[lyman]

Why would one affect all four ? Wartime bombers often came back on 3 or 2 even 1 engine.

Road's post on water in the fuel would affect every engine fed by that tank

[P51MUSTANG]

Im waiting to see the NTSB report and finding....I feel terrible for those lost.

[JOHN COOK]

Four main things affect flight, very basic (1) Lift, (2) Drag (3) Weight) and (4) Thrust. If these four are not correct you will end up in a pile at the end of the runway.

john in SC

[Clark Howard]

The B-17 with a typical load for an exhibition flight would have no problem with an engine failure on take-off. We should wait for the NTSB report before we sit down on the cause. That said, two things that could cause immediate return to the field would be fuel contamination, or engine fire.

[M1Tommy]

I personally know a man who served as that plane's crew chief for a year, a few years ago, and have heard some from him regarding this tragedy.
The pilot had many, many thousands of hours in this plane and was considered expert in what he did and a guru of the plane.
There is already public the communications to/from the plane/tower, where the pilot reported one engine with problems. The plane touched down, seemingly normally (IMO) and then, something obviously went terribly wrong. Exactly what, we will learn eventually I am sure. The Collings Foundation , families of all on board her, everyone associated with an airworthy B-17, and many many others are awaiting these founding anxiously also.
Tommy

[lyman]

do they (or I guess did they) retrofit these planes with black boxes?