B-17 Crash Raises Questions About Vintage Plane Safety-- Part 4: Only Nine of These Still Fly Now

A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said that if an issue is discovered during the investigation that might apply to the fleet, the agency will take appropriate action.  Vintage planes need to be certified as airworthy by the FAA and are subject to periodic inspections.

Owners can obtain s FAA "living history flight exemption" to offer flights to paying customers, but they must comply with extra federal requirements for safety and maintenance.

"I would not have any hesitation about flying in these aircraft," said Dick Knapinski, a spokesman for the Experimental Aircraft Association of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, an organization of aviation enthusiasts and airplane restorers.

The association flies one of the few remaining B-17s.

Its B-17 was scheduled to visit Hyannis, Massachusetts, over the weekend but did not plan to offer passenger flights out of respect for those connected to the B-17 crash.

The Connecticut crash reduces to nine the number of B-17s actively flying according to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, near Dayton, Ohio.

--GreGen