An explosive accident on two WWII historic aircraft at the Dallas air show killed six people, and a field of debris stretched across the airport, a nearby highway and mall, authorities said on Sunday.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said the National Transportation Safety Board was investigating the cause of the “terrible tragedy” on Saturday at the Wings over Dallas air show.
The planes, the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber and the P-63 Kingcobra fighter collided around 1:20 pm. above the Dallas Executive Airport, less than 10 miles from downtown. The show attracted over 4,000 viewers. Mayor Eric Johnson said no injuries to people on the ground have been reported.
“We had a terrible tragedy in our town,” Johnson said. “Movies break your heart. Please say a prayer for the souls who have risen to heaven to entertain and educate our families ”.
“SHOCK AND DISCRETION”:WWII bomber, a smaller plane collides and crashes at the Dallas air show
The Allied Pilots Association, a collective bargaining agent for all American Airlines pilots, said two former members were among the dead, Terry Barker and Len Root.
“Our hearts go to their families, friends and colleagues from the past and present,” the association wrote in a Twitter post, adding that counseling is available from its Fort Worth location.
The footage from the scene seems to show the P-63 entering the B-17 track. Both planes disintegrate, and then the P-63 flies straight into the ground and explodes. Raging flames quickly give way to thick black smoke.
The B-17 usually has a crew of four to five, while the P-63 usually has one pilot. The planes are operated by highly trained volunteers who are often retired professional pilots, said Hank Coates, president of Commemorative Air Force aircraft owner. He said there were no paying customers on the planes.
Fort Worth pilot Victoria Yeager, widow of legendary test pilot Chuck Yeager, was at a party but he said on Twitter that she had not seen an actual catastrophe.
“I saw a fire right after the B-17 hit the ground. He crushed everyone and everything. It’s so sad, ”she said. “The P-63 got a belly during formation. Very unfortunate – the B-17 probably never knew what hit him. Flying in a formation takes a lot of practice – a special skill set.”
The B-17, a major component of US air superiority in World War II, was a four-engine bomber used in the daytime raids on Germany. Most were scrapped after the war. In 2019, following a Connecticut bomber crash that killed seven people, the NTSB reported that it had investigated 21 WWII bomber crashes since 1982, killing 23 people.
The Kingcobra was an American aircraft used mainly by Soviet troops during the war.
Contribution: Associated Press
