B-17 Crash Raises Questions About Vintage Plane Safety-- Part 3: Twenty-One Accidents with WW II-Era Bombers Since 1982

Arthur Wolk continued:  "No one alive went through the military training program for these aircraft. The engines are old with no new parts being manufactured for decades.  Even in service, these planes needed the resources of a government to keep them flying.  The aircraft and engines were never intended to last this long so intense maintenance and inspections are vital to continued safety."

Since 1982, the National Transportation Safety Board has investigated 21 accidents involving World War II-era bombers.  They resulted in 23 deaths.  Three of those accidents involved B-17Gs, not counting the one that crashed Wednesday.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, asked that the NTSB during its investigation of the Connecticut accident look at the inspection and maintenance requirements on vintage planes and whether they need to be more vigorous.

--GreGen