Liberty Belle, 1944-2011
http://www.inquisitr.com/113408/b-17-bomber-liberty-belle-crash-chicago/
Very sad. Glad to read that all the crew walked away. Looking at the photos it appears that just maybe the engines might be salvageable.
Maybe she just got tired and wanted to go out in a blaze. Nifty those old fighter/bomber planes and they did the job for the era.
TOF
Oh pooh that really stinks. I hope they can rebuild her or use what remains to resurrect another Fortress. 
As I understand the way air restoration works - if they can salvage the build plate, they can assemble a brand new airplane around it and it will still be her.
I got lucky on my 30th to buy a flight on the nine o nine that was the best flight ever!!!
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/rockandoakrr69/_forumfiles/DSC00853.JPG)
This is really sad news. I saw the alert come across FoxNews this morning and it was sickening. Thank goodness the crew and volunteers walked away from this crash with minor injuries. This plane can be rebuilt with some generous benefactors. When my son returned from Iraq as a Combat Medic, we bought a flight for him on “Nine-O-Nine”, B-17G. The Collings Foundation, out of Bob Hope Airport. He stills talks about that flight over six years ago.
Cool photos Scott!
My wife and I went to visit her in Spokane last Saturday.
A shame indeed.
They had a whole bunch of vintage fighters and trainers with her.
Very sad news. I’m glad there were no injuries, but it’s a shame to lose such a historic aircraft.
I toured a B-17 at Gillespie Field a few years ago, might have been this one but I don’t know for sure.
tac
They had the “Memphis Belle” (the movie version) at the local airshow in New Garden last year.
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh58/rgseng/NG%20Air%20Show%202010/NGAS0017.jpg)
Plus a fly-by of a B-2 bomber…
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh58/rgseng/NG%20Air%20Show%202010/NGAS0070.jpg)
I missed the show this year this past weekend… (Had a reminder fly over the house at about 2…a P-51 Mustang…)
It’s a shame to see a Historic aircraft destroyed… Difficult to replace an aircraft that hasn’t been built in so many years… The good part was, everyone walked away…
So that leaves how many flying B-17s?
‘Sally B’ lives just down the road from us at Duxford - still flying around near her WW2 home. Where I live I’m literally surrounded by WW2 US 8th Army Air Corps and later, USAF bases - ten within fifteen miles. Go out to twenty miles and there are another eight…
tac
We toured the “Aluminum Overcast”, not the downed Lady. Old timers dizeeze strikes again…
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/jebouck/aluminumovercast.jpg)
tac said:
So that leaves how many flying B-17s?‘Sally B’ lives just down the road from us at Duxford - still flying around near her WW2 home. Where I live I’m literally surrounded by WW2 US 8th Army Air Corps and later, USAF bases - ten within fifteen miles. Go out to twenty miles and there are another eight…
tac
Should be about 13 left .
TOF
It happened real close to us, less than 4 miles away, it was all over the news, the crew was really shook up about it, the owner said they did every thing right in ditching the plane, had a fire in one of the engines as it went down, the fields were so muddy no fire equipment could get to it, thats why it burnt so much. It has been flying around because of the air show it was at, had a leak, thought they had fixed it, they dont know if that was it or a different one.
Tom
I remember a few years ago, they found one in Labrador.
Fished it out of a lake and rebuilt it on site.
It caught fire on takeoff and burned.
What was left sank in the lake after the thaw.
I can’t remember her name.
It was a total heartbreak for the re-build crew.
It was filmed for Discovery or one of the Learning channels.
John Bouck said:
I remember a few years ago, they found one in Labrador. Fished it out of a lake and rebuilt it on site. It caught fire on takeoff and burned. What was left sank in the lake after the thaw. I can't remember her name. It was a total heartbreak for the re-build crew. It was filmed for Discovery or one of the Learning channels.
John If I remember right that was a B29, the PBS show Nova did an episode documenting the discovery, rebuilding effort and the subsequent fire.
Vic,
I thot it was a 17. I’ll research some more.
It didn’t have a name.
Here’s a list of 17’s
http://members.cox.net/b17brian/b17/index.htm