Vintage B-26 Bomber Crashes; 5 Killed

A vintage B-26 bomber crashed and burned Thursday in a rural oil field, killing all five crew members.

The camouflage-painted plane, a Martin Marauder, was practicing for an air show south of Odessa when it went down, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The bomber was owned by the Confederate Air Force, a non-profit group that restores World War II planes and stages air shows around the world. The Marauder was practicing for an air show this weekend at the airport in nearby Midland, where the group is based.

The victims were identified as pilots Walter A. Wootton, 53, and Vernon E. Thorp, 77; John Thomas Cloyd, 64, Colin Dunwell and Chris Gardner, whose ages were not available.