WWII-era bomber crashes at Connecticut's Bradley International Airport, fatalities reported

KEY POINTS

• The vintage WWII bomber, a B-17, crashed at the end of the runway at Bradley International Airport.
• The crash killed at least five people, according to The Associated Press.
• Images on social media showed a large fire at the airport and smoke billowing into the air.

A vintage Boeing B-17 crashed at the end of Runway 6 while attempting to land at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn.

Source: IAFF Local S15 | Twitter

A vintage World War II-era Boeing B-17 aircraft crashed at the end of the runway Wednesday at Bradley International Airport, bursting into flames and killing several passengers, authorities said.

The crash killed at least five people, according to The Associated Press.

There were 13 people — 10 passengers and three crew members — on board the civilian-registered aircraft, local authorities said at a news conference. One person on the ground at the airport was also injured. At least six people were taken to local hospitals.

Images on social media showed a large fire at the airport and smoke billowing into the air.

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The FAA issued a ground stop for the airport, preventing planes from departing for Bradley.

"We can confirm that there was an accident involving a Collings Foundation World War II aircraft this morning at Bradley Airport," said airport spokeswoman Alisa Sisic. "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 is a nonprofit based in Massachusetts that flies vintage military aircraft.

"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," said the Collings Foundation in a statement. "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 B-17 is a bomber known as the "Flying Fortress." The model's first flight was in 1935.

The National Transportation Safety Board is planning to send a team to the crash site to begin an investigation.