Dave Colavecchio/Twitter(WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn.) — A man fulfilling his bucket list was one of the seven people killed when a World War II plane crashed at Bradley International Airport near Hartford, Connecticut.
The vintage Boeing B-17 crashed minutes after taking off Wednesday. The plane crashed at the end of a runway while trying to land, sending plumes of smoke into the air.
Among those killed was Robert Riddell, a loving husband and devoted new grandfather who was a World War II history buff. He was fascinated by this plane — and flying in it was on his bucket list, according to his wife.
“He was really excited about it,” his wife, Debra Riddell, told ABC News. “This was really important to him.”
Debra Riddell, who was at the airport to watch, said her husband was texting her from the plane before takeoff.
“He said it was getting warm in there. He said, ‘this doesn’t bode well,'” Debra Riddell said. “It could’ve been concern but he didn’t express that to me.”
He continued to text her from the air, telling her they were headed back to the airport. She asked her husband why, and he replied: “turbulence.”
“I was just in shock,” she said as the plane burst into flames. “I just started screaming and crying.”
“He loved his kids beyond words … family was everything to him,” Debra Riddell said.
Also among those killed was Gary Mazzone, a longtime member of the Vernon, Connecticut, police department, according to Vernon police Lt. Bill Meier.
Mazzone served the Vernon Police Department for 22 years before retiring in 1998, said Meier. He then worked as an inspector within the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice, from which he retired in January.
“Captain Mazzone had a distinguished career and was a graduate of the FBI National Academy,” Meier said in a statement. “Captain Mazzone spent over 42 years in law enforcement serving the town and the state. He had a special relationship with Special Olympics Connecticut and is a member of their hall of fame.”
“Please keep Captain Mazzone and his family in your thoughts and prayers,” Meier said.
Thirteen people were on board the plane: 10 passengers and three crew members, officials said. Fourteen were injured in the crash, officials said, including all of those on board and an airport employee on the ground.
Six of the injured, including three people in critical condition, were taken to Hartford Hospital, said hospital officials.
Two Simsbury, Connecticut, firefighters were on the plane and survived, the fire chief told ABC News.
Five minutes into the flight, a problem was reported to the tower, said officials. The pilot tried to return to the runway and circle around but on touchdown the plane lost control and struck a de-icing facility, officials said.
Witness Gerald Cyr told ABC News he noticed the plane wasn’t lined up with the runway and “knew something was wrong.”
“Ten seconds after, maybe less than that, it disappeared, big puff of smoke, and it did crash,” he said.
Bradley International Airport — the second largest in New England — shut down immediately after the fiery crash. The airport reopened shortly before 2 p.m., but the runway where the accident occurred remained closed.
The World War II plane was civilian registered — not flown by the military, according to the FAA, and was part of the Wings of Freedom tour, according to ABC New Haven affiliate WTNH-TV.
The same plane had an incident in 1987 when it ran off a runway in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, according to an NTSB report. Three of the 12 people on board the flight were injured.
Officials with the Collings Foundation, an educational foundation which holds the Wings of Freedom tour, said in a statement: “Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were on that flight and we will be forever grateful to the heroic efforts of the first responders at Bradley Airport. The Collings Foundation flight team is fully cooperating with officials to determine the cause of the crash of the B-17 Flying Fortress.”
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said on Twitter he’s calling for an immediate investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) “so we can get to the bottom of what happened & prevent future tragedies.”
“Vintage planes must be properly maintained & flown— & the NTSB must tell us whether this tragedy could have been prevented,” Blumenthal said.
The NTSB said it’s sending a team to the crash site.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont tweeted: “Our prayers are with the victims and their families.”
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., wrote on Twitter, “My heart goes out to everyone impacted by this crash.
Copyright © 2019, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.