What happened
During the first flight of the day, a vintage US military bomber was conducting a public excursion flight. Shortly after takeoff, while the aircraft was climbing, the pilot retracted the landing gear. During this period, the loadmaster exited the cockpit to notify passengers they could move about the cabin. The pilot subsequently notified air traffic control that the aircraft required an immediate return to the airport due to issues with a magneto. At this stage, the aircraft was at approximately 600 feet AGL on the right crosswind leg of the runway 6 traffic pattern.
As the loadmaster returned to the cockpit, the crew noticed the aircraft had ceased its climb. The pilot ordered the extension of the landing gear. After the loadmaster briefly exited again to instruct passengers to secure their seatbelts, the pilot reported that the No. 4 engine was losing power. The pilot then proceeded to shut down the engine and feather the propeller. By the time the aircraft reached the midfield right downwind leg at 400 feet AGL, the landing gear had already been deployed.
During the final approach, the aircraft maintained a right-wing-down attitude and struck the runway 6 approach lights roughly 1,000 feet before the runway threshold. The plane then made contact with the ground approximately 500 feet before the runway. After landing short of the threshold, the aircraft veered to the right, striking vehicles and a deicing fluid tank before coming to a stop 940 feet right of the runway. A fire broke out following the impact.
Findings
The accident resulted in 7 fatalities and 7 injuries, including one person on the ground. The crash sequence involved engine power loss and subsequent contact with ground structures and vehicles.