The B-17 Flying Fortress Liberty Belle, known for traveling around the country attending air shows and giving people the experience of riding in a World War II bomber, has abruptly ended its tour of duty. An apparent in-flight fire forced the pilots to bring the airplane down in a cornfield near the Aurora Municipal Airport (ARR) just west of Chicago, only four minutes after its 9:30 a.m. departure on June 13, according to FAA Public Affairs officer Elizabeth Isham Cory. The quick reaction of the pilots — Captain John Hess in the left seat and Bud Sittic in the right, both with more than 14,000 hours of flight experience — allowed the seven occupants of the airplane to walk away. There was only one minor injury reported as a result of the forced landing.
Over the weekend, the B-17 underwent some maintenance, but Keith Holloway from the NTSB office in Chicago said it is too early in the investigation process to make any determinations about the cause of the accident. The agency has examined the airplane and is in the process of relocating the remains to continue its investigation.
