NTSB: Fuel Leak Caused B-17 'Liberty Belle' Fire

NTSB: Fuel Leak Caused B-17 ‘Liberty Belle’ Fire

Stephen Pope

Tuesday, May 06, 2014 at 09:22 PM ET

Verified

Courtesy of WGN/TV

Key Takeaways:

The B-17 bomber "Liberty Belle" was destroyed by an in-flight fire in June 2011, caused by a fuel leak that led to an emergency landing in a cornfield.
The NTSB determined the probable cause was an inadequately repaired crack in a fuel tank, which had been previously identified by mechanics but not properly fixed.
Despite noticing a gasoline odor and smoke shortly after takeoff, the flight crew successfully landed the aircraft, with all seven occupants surviving and only one sustaining minor injuries.
The historic airplane was completely destroyed as fire engines were unable to reach it in the muddy cornfield, allowing the fire to spread.

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A fuel leak aboard the World War II-era B-17 bomber “Liberty Belle” caused the in-flight fire that destroyed the historic airplane when it made an emergency landing in an Illinois corn field in June 2011, the NTSB said in its final accident report.

According to investigators, the weekend before the crash mechanics identified a fuel leak, which was subsequently repaired. A final inspection on the morning of the accident flight did not reveal any evidence of a leak and the airplane was cleared for flight.