Authorities reported at least six dead after two World War II-era military aircraft collided midair during an airshow at Dallas Executive Airport on Saturday afternoon.
In a phone call, a spokesperson for the Dallas County Medical Examiner's office said that they have confirmed the deaths of six people. Immediately after the crash, there were more than 40 fire rescue units that responded to the scene.
World War II Aircraft Event Crash
The two aircraft that were involved in the collision were a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra. There was video footage of the incident that Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson described as "heartbreaking," showing the two planes breaking apart in midair after the collision, and soon later, hitting the ground.
🚨#BREAKING: New angle of the mid-air collision
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) November 12, 2022
📌#Dallas l #Texas
Watch as new videos shows a new angle of the mid-air collision shows B-17 and other aircraft flying formations at Wings Over Dallas air show when it was hit by a Curtiss P-36 Hawk and fell to the ground pic.twitter.com/8jU60aOol7
⚠️ GRAPHIC VIDEO: A mid-air collision involving two planes near the Dallas Executive Airport, today. The accident took place during the Wings Over Dallas WWII Airshow at 1:25 p.m., according to Dallas Fire-Rescue. A @FOX4 viewer took this video. @FOX4 is working for more details. pic.twitter.com/jdA6Cpb9Ot
— David Sentendrey (@DavidSFOX4) November 12, 2022
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) arrived at the scene on Sunday to investigate the incident. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) noted that the crash took place at around 1:20 p.m. on Saturday.
The labor union that represents American Airline pilots, the Allied Pilots Association, has identified two pilot retirees and former union members among the people who were killed in the crash, as per CNN.
The APA noted that Terry Barker and Len Root, who are former members of the association, were among the crew onboard the B-17 Flying Fortress during the airshow. The association released a statement, expressing its sympathies for the families, friends, and colleagues of the people killed in the incident.
On Sunday morning, Keller Mayor Armin Mizani posted on Facebook announcing the death of Barker, a former city council member for Keller, Texas. The official said that Keller grieved for the loss of the husband, father, Army veteran, and former Keller City Councilman.
According to BBC, firefighters noted that fortunately, there were no injuries to any person on the ground following the incident. Chris Kratovil, an eyewitness who was among thousands of watchers, said that he had never seen a crowd become as quiet in the blink of an eye when the crash occurred.
In Honor of Veterans Day
The FAA announced it would investigate the crash that happened during the three-day event, which describes itself as the United States' premiere World War II airshow. The organizers of the event said that it was being held in honor of Veterans Day.
The website of the event wrote that several planes were scheduled to do a flyover demonstration on the day of the incident. The B-17 bomber also played a major role in winning the air battle against Germany during World War II.
The second aircraft involved in the incident was a fighter plane that was used in the same war but was used in combat only by the Soviet Air Force. Hank Coates from the Commemorative Air Force, said that the B-17 usually had a crew of four to five people while the P-63 was a single-pilot plane.
News footage on the day of the crash showed the crumpled wreckage of the aircraft found in a grassy area inside the airport's perimeter. Many witnesses at the event were shocked and could only watch in silence as the planes burst into flames after hitting the ground, Al Jazeera reported.
