A Brief History of the B-17 B-17

The Collings 909 was a B-17 bomber that saw service in World War II. In 1977, the plane entered civilian service and flew regularly for 33 years. It suffered two minor accidents: one when it overran the runway while landing; another after hitting an ILS antenna array. On October 1, 2019, this aircraft crashed into a de-icing facility at Bradley International Airport with 10 passengers on board. One of the passengers managed to open an escape hatch despite suffering a broken arm and collarbone.