Damn...

[Phillbo]

Here are some photos showing some of the extent of damage...The aerial shot shows one wing ripped out at the wingroot...Total loss as far as restoration......Ben

Not going to be many usable parts either. Maybe portions from the tail section...

[Truckman]

Nine-O-Nine in its better days......Ben

[Truckman]

Seven dead so far......Ben

[wacojoe]

One of the articles quoting nearby observers of the accident said the airplane took off, then it was heard to be having what sounded like engine trouble, circled back and then crashed upon landing. The plane has 4 engines, so I question what could cause multiple engine trouble enough to bring down a 4 engine plane? I doubt a single engine, or maybe even two would do that. My thoughts run to bad fuel or fuel delivery affecting all or multiple engine failures.

[Phillbo]

Lose power on two on the same side and it will roll.

[Truckman]

I thought the same thing, Joe...I'll be following this story...As I remember, each engine has its own fuel pumps as well as backup pumps, and there are multiple tanks...The only reason I can think of would be not having all the tanks full and running one dry with no backup tank to switch too...Also it was climbing which means it needed maximum power from all engines to get altitude...Loss of one engine getting airborne, for any reason, could cause the pilot to attempt RTB......Ben

[Truckman]

Here is the track of Nine-O-Nine's last flight...And its flight history in the days leading to the incident...The flight durations shown are in minutes......Ben

[Truckman]

An Air National Guardsman who was aboard the doomed flight as a passenger helped save some lives before he exited...

The airman -- the command chief for an airlift wing and a trained C-130 loadmaster -- had brought his military flame-retardant flight gloves with him on the flight, the National Guard said in a news release.
"Using these, (he) was able to open a hatch on the aircraft, allowing other passengers to egress the plane after the crash," the news release reads.

...Ben

[Truckman]

This is only speculation from me...The ANG Command Chief who was aboard Nine-O-Nine was said in news reports to have been instrumental in saving lives even at the cost of suffering burns himself...It was said he was able to reach the door latches allowing escape because he happened to have his work-issued flame retardant gloves with him...It occurred to me that some might wonder why he happened to be carrying the bulky items...

When another B-17, Aluminum Overcast, visited Conroe a few years ago, I happened to be in the crowd gathered to visit...In the crowd were three Army National Guardsmen, citizen-soldiers attached to the unit stationed at Conroe Regional Airport, who managed to be released from duty for an hour to see the historic bomber...One of the EAA reps traveling with the B-17's tour approached the three, who were in uniform, and after verifying they were members of the military and not just folks who like to wear camo, offered them a ride on the next flight at no charge...They all declined as they would have to be late returning to duty...

I'm guessing that the senior ANG NCO involved in the flight may have been there on his lunch break if his unit is assigned at the airport...If so, he would have had his gloves tucked into his belt since he was on duty...He may have taken the opportunity to snag a ride if it was offered, and this could have been responsible for his fortuitous presence aboard...

"Any further details on his specific actions will be revealed through the investigation," the National Guard said in a statement to FOX61.

...Ben

[wacojoe]

Has anyone found a report of how many escaped, their condition, and their accounts of what went wrong?

[Truckman]

Has anyone found a report of how many escaped, their condition, and their accounts of what went wrong?

The article I linked has that info...Nothing concrete about the cause other than engine failure......Ben

[Phillbo]

Single or multiple engine failure?

[Truckman]

Single or multiple engine failure?

The article said the pilot wanted to RTB for "blow out" of #4 engine......Ben

[Mike]

One article I read said they asked to return to base due to the inability to gain altitude after takeoff because of the #4 engine not working. The same as Ben said above with a bonus cause.

[Phillbo]

'blow out' ? I've never heard that term.... was it on fire?