A Long Beach pilot was among seven people killed Wednesday when a vintage plane he was flying crashed at a Connecticut airport, authorities said.

Ernest McCauley, 75, was flying the World War II-era B-17 bomber when it slammed into Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks just before 10 a.m. The plane was carrying 13 people.

The plane had been in the air about five minutes when it began experiencing problems and crashed into a deicing facility at the airport before bursting into flames, Connecticut State Police said in a statement.

Also killed in the crash were: Michael Foster, 71, of Jacksonville, Fla., who was the co-pilot; Gary Mazzone, 60, of East Windsor, Conn.; James Roberts, 48, of Ludlow, Mass.; David Broderick, 56, of West Springfield, Mass.; and Robert Rubner, 64, of Tolland, Conn.


Five passengers and one flight engineer were injured, as well as an airport employee on the ground. All suffered burns and/or broken bones.

The National Transportation Safety Board, the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration are among the agencies investigating the crash.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.