Historic WWII bomber crash lands near Stockton

STOCKTON — A historic B-25 bomber returning from the 75th Commemoration of the End of World War II in Hawaii crash landed in a field outside Stockton on Saturday evening with three people aboard. All survived.

“Old Glory,” a B-25 Mitchell Bomber operated by The Prescott Foundation of Albany, New York, reportedly suffered a mechanical failure and went down in a farm field near South Roberts and West Muller roads, due west of Stockton’s sprawling Weston Ranch subdivision.

The plane, built in 1944, sustained significant damage after it apparently struck an irrigation ditch, according to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office that responded to the scene about 7:40 p.m.

Among the three crew members aboard, one walked away without injury. The other two were transported to an area hospital for treatment of unspecified, non-lifethreatening injuries, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Both the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration have been called in to investigate the crash, the Sheriff ’s Office reported.

Earlier this month, “Old Glory” was one of 14 vintage military aircraft visiting Hawaii to participate in the 75th Commemoration of the End of World War II, including a parade. To get to Hawaii, “Old Glory” hitched a ride in San Diego aboard the USS Essex aircraft carrier. It was not reported how it returned to the mainland and what its flight plan was at the time of the crash.

The B-25 is described as a twin-engine medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation and used by Allied air forces in every theater of WWII. It was in service over four decades. Nearly 10,000 were made.