WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- A vintage World War Two plane crashed, erupted into flames and killed people on board on Wednesday at an airport in U.S. state of Connecticut, authorities said.
"There were fatalities," State Police Commissioner James Rovella told reporters without giving the exact number. "Victims are very difficult to identify, we don't want to make a mistake."
The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" crashed at the end of a runway while attempting to land at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks at 10 a.m. local time (1400 GMT), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.
The vintage bomber is "a civilian registered aircraft, not flown by the military," the FAA added.
There were 13 people on board the plane, namely two pilots, one attendant, and 10 passengers. Another person on the ground was injured when the plane slid off the runway and slammed into a building, according to Rovella.
Bradley, the second-largest airport in New England, was closed for "an active fire and rescue operation" following the crash. It was reopened Wednesday afternoon.
The airport, about 20 km north of Hartford, Connecticut's capital, is hosting a show of vintage World War II craft this week.
