What happened
On October 2, 2019, a Boeing B-17G, registration N93012, operated by the Collings Foundation, crashed short of runway 6 at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. The aircraft was conducting a local commercial sightseeing flight as part of a living history flight experience.
During the initial climb, the pilot retracted the landing gear. The crew chief, acting as loadmaster, moved into the cabin to allow passengers to walk through the aircraft. Shortly after, the pilot notified air traffic control that the aircraft needed to return to the field due to a "rough magneto" on the No. 4 engine.
As the aircraft was on the right crosswind leg of the traffic pattern, the pilot instructed the copilot to extend the landing gear. The pilot then shut down the No. 4 engine and feathered the propeller. During the subsequent approach, the aircraft's airspeed dropped to 100 mph or below, which was below the speed required to maintain the descent angle.
The aircraft struck the runway 6 approach lights in a right-wing-down attitude approximately 1,000 feet before the runway and contacted the ground about 500 feet before the runway threshold. The aircraft veered right, collided with vehicles and a deicing fluid tank, and caught fire. The accident resulted in 7 fatal injuries, 5 serious injuries, and 1 minor injury to a passenger and one person on the ground.
The investigation
Mechanical examination of the engines revealed several issues. The No. 4 engine's left magneto was found to be shorted to ground because a grounding tab was in contact with the housing. Additionally, the right magneto on the No. 4 engine had a point gap that was below manufacturer specifications, causing weak and intermittent sparks.
On the No. 3 engine, investigators found evidence of detonation on four cylinders. The spark plugs on this engine were also worn, with electrode gaps exceeding manufacturer specifications.
Maintenance records showed that the pilot, who also served as the director of maintenance, had performed 25-hour inspections on both engines recently. However, the inspection of the No. 4 engine, completed nine days prior to the crash, failed to correct the magneto point gap, and the inspection of the No. 3 engine, completed less than a month prior, failed to address the worn spark plugs.
Findings
- The pilot failed to appropriately manage the aircraft's airspeed and configuration, specifically by allowing the airspeed to decay and extending the landing gear prematurely after the engine shutdown.
- The pilot's maintenance of the aircraft was inadequate, leading to a partial loss of power in the No. 3 and No. 4 engines.
- The Collings Foundation's Safety Management System (SMS) was ineffective at identifying and mitigating risks, such as improper maintenance, inconsistent engine run-up checklists, and the use of unrestrained crew members during flight.
- FAA oversight of the operator's SMS was insufficient to ensure the program met safety risk management criteria.