WWII B-17 BOMBER MAKES ROUGH LANDING AT VAN NUYS.Byline: Staff and Wire Reports A vintage World War II-era B-17 bomber bomber Military aircraft designed to drop bombs on surface targets. Aerial bombardment can be traced to the Italo-Turkish War (1911), in which an Italian pilot dropped grenades on two Turkish targets. made a belly landing A Belly landing is an emergency landing procedure in which an aircraft lands without its landing gear fully extended—using its underside, or belly, as its primary landing device. During a belly landing there is normally extensive damage to the airplane. at Van Nuys Airport Van Nuys Airport (IATA: VNY, ICAO: KVNY, FAA LID: VNY) is a public airport located in Van Nuys, California in the San Fernando Valley, within the Los Angeles city limits. Wednesday Wednesday: see week. after its landing gear collapsed, officials said. The four-propeller aircraft, on a nationwide ``Salute to Veterans'' tour, landed about 4:28 p.m. on the main runway runway: see airport. at Van Nuys. There were no immediate reports of injury, said Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey. The accident left the bomber blocking the longest runway at Van Nuys, which is the world's busiest general aviation airport, with almost a half- million takeoffs and landings annually. A shorter runway was still available, said Stacy Geere, an airport spokeswoman. There were six people aboard the bomber when its left and right landing gear collapsed, Geere said. The Experimental Aircraft Association owns the bomber, which was at the airport as part of a the nationwide tour, she said. Officials said the B-17 flights that had been planned for the public today at Van Nuys Airport would have to be canceled. George Daubner, a spokesman for the Experimental Aircraft Association, said the B-17, named ``Aluminum Overcast,'' was being evaluated, but it appeared the entire ``Salute to Veterans'' national tour might have to be canceled this year. The plane was damaged in the landing, and a mechanic was trying to determine how to move it off the runway, Geere said. An official with the Federal Aviation Administration Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), component of the U.S. Department of Transportation that sets standards for the air-worthiness of all civilian aircraft, inspects and licenses them, and regulates civilian and military air traffic through its air traffic control said the landing would be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: A vintage B-17 bomber that was part of a nationwide tour sits damaged on a runway at Van Nuys Airport on Wednesday. Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer |
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