B-17 Aluminum Overcast Tour Update
April 22, 2021 – As part of a routine preflight inspection of the B-17 Aluminum Overcast in Florida last week, our tour teams discovered a fitting inside the wing that showed signs of fatigue. Following safety protocols, the airplane was grounded for a full inspection that determined that replacing the part was necessary. The on-site tour teams did an outstanding job of finding and correctly assessing the situation with safety as the first priority.
Because of that, EAA's B-17 national tour is on hiatus for the time being. The airplane will remain in Florida at this time until a repair schedule is finalized. We do not currently have a final timeline for those repairs, but will keep everyone updated as additional information becomes available via the B17.org website and other channels.
Refunds are being made available for all pre-booked passengers for tour stops and for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh flights. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate the outpouring of support for EAA and our aircraft tour operations.
