RIP "Liberty Belle"

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  • Dr Mordrid
    Moderator
    • Apr 2001
    • 26592
    #1

    RIP "Liberty Belle"

    The Liberty Belle, a vintage WW-II B-17 Flying Fortress bomber went down today outside of Aurora, Illinois while making an appearance at an air show. Shortly after takeoff she developed a fire, early reports say in engine #3, and crash-landed in a field.

    All 7 passengers & crew survived with just 1 minor injury. Liberty Belle herself wasn't so lucky - her fuselage from the cockpit to in front of her tail and the mid sections of her wings were destroyed.

    It's enough to make an air history buff cry

    In her better days -


    Today -
    Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 13 June 2011, 15:37.
    Dr. Mordrid
    ----------------------------
    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps
    Tags: None
    • VJ
      Moderator
      • Mar 2001
      • 9733
      #2
      Great to hear the crew was ok...

      It is a shame, but no doubt people will restore her to her full glory... My heart also weeps a little everytime I see the old Dakota DC-3 on the grass at the airfield at my home town: no engines, broken windows, the construction of the wings showing... A Dutch group that restored a DC-3 has expressed some interest some years ago, and from what I gather they are still considering this one.
      pixar
      Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow. (James Dean)

        Comment

        • Jessterw
          Style Master, Rtd.
          • Jul 2002
          • 4265
          #3
          Oh geez. I've seen Liberty Belle more than once and I've always loved the B-17s.
          “And, remember: there's no 'I' in 'irony'” ~ Merlin Mann

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            • paulw
              Super MURCer
              • Sep 1999
              • 1026
              #4
              Saw it tonite on TV. Pity. Nice plane. Maybe some of the engines can be salvaged as spares and a bit of the tail.
              paulw

                Comment

                • Umfriend
                  Crabby Smurf
                  • Mar 2001
                  • 7308
                  #5
                  I used to like to fly this plane

                  In Fighter Ace that is...
                  Join MURCs Distributed Computing effort for Rosetta@Home and help fight Alzheimers, Cancer, Mad Cow disease and rising oil prices.
                  [...]the pervading principle and abiding test of good breeding is the requirement of a substantial and patent waste of time. - Veblen

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                    • TransformX
                      Super MURCer
                      • Sep 2003
                      • 4946
                      #6
                      I hope some engineer fans with too much time and money on their hands will decide to build a replica one day.
                      People have been doing crazy stuff before..
                      An F-35 Pilot Safely Ejected After a ‘Mishap’ Last Weekend—But It Doesn’t Always End Well
                      http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/aviation/diy-flying/how-to-restore-a-harrier-jump-jet
                      You want to avoid ejecting from a jet at all costs. But when there is no other option, it can save your life.

                      404 | Popular Mechanics
                      http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/aviation/diy-flying/restoring-a-harrier-jump-jet-step-by-step-photos#fbIndex1
                      "For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism."

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