Funding has been approved to fix damage left behind at Bradley International Airport after a deadly vintage plane crash.
A World War II-era B17 plane struck a deicing facility earlier this month, killing seven people.
The airport director said since the crash, no operations have been adjusted, and he doesn’t’ expect to see a need as they await the results of the National Transportation Safety Board report.
On Friday he addressed a question many have asked - should this vintage plane have been allowed to fly at Bradley?
“The reality is we are governed by the FAA. The FAA is the body that determines airworthiness of aircraft and the fact that we take federal grants, we’re not allowed to restrict aircraft that are certified airworthy from coming into the airport,” Kevin Dillon of the Connecticut Airport Authority explained.
Almost one month after the crash, the airport’s director said reconstruction needs to begin. Friday afternoon, the Connecticut Airport Authority board approved the spending of up to $2.5 million to either restore or replace the damaged deicing processing facility.
They expect this money will be fully reimbursed by the foundation-owned plane’s insurance company.
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This damaged facility doesn’t store the glycol that deices planes, but processes it after it is used, so it should have no impact on winter travel, but will create extra work for employees who will have to capture and ship the deicing material off-site for processing during the rebuild.
