The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and the Bell P-63 Kingcobra collided and crashed during the Wings Over Dallas airshow around 1:20 p.m. on Saturday, According to reports from the Federal Aviation Administration.
The authorities were on the scene to investigate the incident at Dallas Executive Airport, Jason Evans of Dallas Fire-Rescue told CNN on Saturday.
As per Dallas City Mayor Eric Johnson, the number of fatalities from the crash was not determined until Saturday afternoon.
However, The Allied Pilots Association, the union representing American Airlines pilots, identified two former pilots and union members as the victims of the crash.
Dallas Airshow crash
The former member’s Terry Barker and Len Root were part of the crew on the B-17 Flying Fortress during the Wings Over Dallas airshow, the APA announced in a tweet. The APA offers expert counseling at its headquarters in Fort Worth following the incident.
“Our empathies go out to their families, friends, and colleagues past and present,” the tweet read.
There were around 40 emergency units at the scene following the accident, according to the active incidents page of the agency indicates.
In a news conference on Saturday afternoon, Hank Coates, president and CEO of the Commemorative Air Force, explained to reporters that they were flying the B-17 “normally has an average of four to five. This was the situation in the B-17,” while the P-63 is a “single-piloted fighter-type aircraft.”
“I know it was regularly crewed,” Coates stated. “I cannot share the number of persons in the manifest or the names on the manifest until the NTSB gives me permission.” Both planes were flying from Houston.
“Currently, we do not have information on the status of the flight crews because emergency responders are working the accident,” the organization said in a statement, adding that it was working with both the local government and the FAA.
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The FAA is currently in charge of the investigation. It’s scheduled to be handed over to the NTSB around 9 p.m. when an NTSB team arrives at the location.
On Saturday night, the NTSB announced it would be forming an investigation team to investigate the incident. The team is scheduled to arrive on Sunday, as the NTSB announced in a tweet.
“Member Michael Graham will serve as spokesperson on the scene,” the tweet said.
“The maneuvers that they [the aircraft] were going through were not dynamic at all,” Coates observed. “It was what we call ‘Bombers on Parade’.”
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Johnson tweeted that he was able to confirm the news later on Saturday. There were no witnesses or other people in the area who were injured, but the field of debris left caused by the collision comprises those on the Dallas Executive Highway 67, Airport grounds, and a nearby strip mall.
The event, planned to run until Sunday, has been canceled, according to the event’s website.
In a post following the accident, Johnson stated, “As many of you may have seen the aftermath of the crash, we’ve experienced an awful tragedy in our city today during an airshow. Many details remain unconfirmed or have not been confirmed as of this moment.”
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“The videos are tragic. Pray for the souls of those who went to the skies to inform and entertain our children today,” Johnson said in a separate tweet.
The northbound and southbound lanes of the highway were closed following the incident, according to the Dallas Police Department.
“This isn’t about aircraft. It’s not true,” Coates said during the news conference. “I can guarantee you that the aircraft is incredible and They’re safe. They’re well-maintained. The pilots are extremely trained. It’s a challenge to discuss it because I’m familiar with that all of these people are family members, and they’re great friends.”
According to Coates, the pilots who fly the aircraft during CAF airshows are all volunteers and follow a strict training procedure. A majority of them are former, retired, or former army pilots, Coates said.
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Rare vintage aircraft destroyed.
A B-17 is part of the collections of the Commemorative Air Force, nicknamed ” Texas Raiders,” and was kept in Conroe, Texas, near Houston. It was among the 45 remaining complete models of the aircraft; just nine of them were airworthy.
The P-63 was also rarer. It is believed that 14 of them are to exist, including four in the United States that were airworthy, including one belonging to the Commemorative Air Force.
More than 12,000 B-17s were manufactured by Boeing, Douglas Aircraft, and Lockheed between 1936 and 1945. There were almost 5,000 aircraft lost during the conflict, with the majority of the remaining ones being scrapped in the early 1960s. A total of 3,300 P-63s were built through Bell Aircraft between 1943 and 1945 and were primarily utilized for those in the Soviet Air Force in World War II.
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