Oswego, IL, June 11, 2011 – A vintage World War II B-17 Flying Fortress was destroyed by fire after making an emergency landing in a cornfield near Oswego. Don Brooks, the owner of the bomber, named “Liberty Belle,” stated it was the loss of a “national treasure.” Only 11 of more than 12,000 B-17s that were built during World War II remain flying after the destruction of “Liberty Belle.” The plane was built in 1945 near the end of the war and never saw combat duty. Brooks bought the plane in 2000 and restored it to its original condition.
According to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the B-17 had a fire on a wing shortly after takeoff from the Aurora, IL, Municipal Airport. The pilot made an emergency landing eight miles from the airport and all seven people on board exited the plane safely.
The Oswego Fire Department was dispatched at 9:49 A.M. and responded with two engines, a tower ladder, three ambulances, one heavy rescue, one brush unit and three chief officers with 20 firefighters. At 9:55, mutual aid was requested from the Sugar Grove, Bristol Kendall and Plainfield fire departments. Sugar Grove responded with an aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) crash truck and a brush truck and Plainfield and Bristol Kendall each responded with a brush truck.
Sugar Grove’s ARFF unit, equipped with foam and extinguishing agents, became stuck in the mud trying to reach the plane and had to be pulled out. Once the unit reached the plane, the fire was extinguished in less than one hour. Mutual aid units were released at 12:18 P.M. and Oswego units left the scene at 12:55. The NTSB continues to investigate.
