HARTFORD, Conn. _ At least two people have died and more were seriously injured when a World War II-era plane crashed at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks Wednesday morning.
A B-17 bomber crashed about 10 a.m. local time, bursting into flames and sending up a large plume of smoke that could be seen for miles. Sources say it crashed into a small building as it was trying to land.
While there is no official word on the number of deaths, sources say at least two people have died and three others have critical injuries. The plane was one of five at the airport for the Wings of Freedom tour.
Thirteen people were on board: the pilot, the co-pilot, an attendant and 10 passengers, state officials said at an early-afternoon news conference. One person in a maintenance building also was injured.
Laura Nolan said she saw that something was amiss as the plane came in for a landing. She was driving east on Route 20 at the time, and she saw the World War II-era plane flying unusually low.
"He was treetop level when I saw him," Nolan said. "And one of the engines wasn't spinning."
As the plane passed by, Nolan said, the roar was "thunderous."
And then, the plane crashed.
"I saw the smoke in the rearview mirror," Nolan said. The smoke was dark black, she said.
Nolan, a former Granby paramedic, went to the airport to offer help to the first responders. She was sent away, though, and by about 11 a.m. the other waiting ambulances had been sent away as well, she said.
She saw emergency vehicles from across the region, including from the Ambulance Service of Manchester, Hartford-based American Medical Response, Pratt and Whitney Fire Department and Suffield Fire Department. Nolan said she also saw a Life Star helicopter land near the crash site.
"The amount of people that were flooding in here was ridiculous," Nolan said.
Angela Fletcher, who lives about a half-mile from the airport, said she saw the plane fly close to her house.
"It sounded like an 18 wheeler coming down the street and then it got louder. Like so loud, it was vibrating things in the house. I looked out the window, and I saw this giant old plane come over the house that was very close, like oddly close to the house," she said.
" ... And then you heard like a pop pop. Almost like it was (the) engine. The engine was failing. And then it just continued over. So I didn't think too much of it. And then I heard all the sirens but it was dangerously close," Fletcher said.
Nicole Soini, lives off Spring Street, said given how low the plane was flying, "I'm honestly surprised it made it this far before it touched the ground. ... It wasn't touching the trees, the trees didn't move, but from a distance ... It looked like it was touching them. It was that low and it just sounded like exactly what (Angela) said a big 18 wheeler and the engine was failing. You could hear it _ it just sounded crazy. Sounded like it was dying, like the engine was, everything was just shutting off."
Jim and Judy Guthrie said they didn't see the plane crash, but their son did. He described it as "a ball of fire" that was rolling sideways.
Of the six patients who were rushed to Hartford Hospital, one was flown by Life Star helicopter, a hospital spokesperson said late Wednesday morning. The other five arrived via ground ambulance.
The airport confirmed that the plane is a Collings Foundation World War II aircraft. The airport is closed; the Federal Aviation Administration said it has put in a ground stop for flights destined for the airport.
The Collings Foundation did not provide details on the crash but released a statement: "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."
Numerous fire departments from the area were called to the scene, causing area towns to scramble to line up coverage. At least two dozen emergency vehicles were at the crash site.
At least one victim was being airlifted from the scene at 10:50 a.m.
The plane is one of five _ two World War II fighter planes and three bombers _ that was at the airport this week for tours and flights through Wings of Freedom.
The most recent fatal crash of a vintage war plane happened in Fredericksburg, Texas, in November 2018. The pilot and a passenger in a P-51D Mustang fighter aircraft were killed when the plane, which had just participated in a flyby, crashed into a nearby parking lot.
