A vintage World War II plane crashed and erupted into flames on Wednesday morning at Bradley International Airport, just outside of Hartford, Connecticut, authorities said.
“We can confirm that there was an accident involving a Collings Foundation World War II aircraft this morning at Bradley Airport,” according to an airport statement.
“We have an active fire and rescue operation underway. The airport is closed. We will issue further updates as information becomes available,” the Bradley airport statement said.
The FAA said the craft was a Boeing B-17 and it went down at the end of Runway 6 at about 10 a.m. It was not immediately known how many people were on board.
The International Association of Fire Fighters Local S15, the union representing nearby first responders, tweeted a picture of black smoke hovering over the airport with the message: “Our crews are operating at an aircraft crash at Bradley airport.”
The airport is playing host this week to a show of vintage World War II craft.
The Boeing B-17 was once dubbed the “Flying Fortress” and played a key role for Allied forces in Europe.
This is a developing story, please check back here for updates.
