'It Sounded Like an 18-Wheeler': Plane Crash in Connecticut

"It sounded like an 18-wheeler coming down the street and then it got louder," said one witness. Then came the crash and the fireball. A World War II-era plane went down at Connecticut's Bradley International Airport around 10am Wednesday; the plane reportedly slid off the end of runway 6 and into a building, the Hartford Courant reports. WFSB reports there were 13 people aboard and reports say 5 or 6 were taken to the hospital. A state official anonymously tells the AP at least five people were killed; Connecticut Public Safety Commissioner James Rovella confirmed there were fatalities but has not yet given a count.

The airport tweeted that the airport was closed following the accident, which involved a "Collings Foundation World War II aircraft." NBC News reports a vintage WWII aircraft show was underway at the airport at the time. Witnesses recount seeing the B-17 bomber flying extremely low, nearly at treetop-level, before crashing. Officials say the plane had only been airborne for five minutes when it indicated it was unable to gain altitude and would attempt to return to the airport. (More plane crash stories.)