On Saturday, during a flyover at a commemorative ceremony in Texas, two World War II-era aircraft collided and crashed, igniting a fireball that left bystanders stunned and distressed.
Six persons were aboard the two planes at the time of the crash, according to the Commemorative Air Force, and according to Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, all six were dead.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported that a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra were engaged in the Air Force’s Wings Over Dallas air display when they collided in midair near Dallas Executive Airport shortly before 1:30 p.m. local time.
In this photo by Nathaniel Ross Photography, a historic military aircraft crashes after colliding with another aircraft during an airshow at Dallas Executive Airport on November 12, 2022. Photograph by Nathaniel Ross, courtesy of AP
Saturday afternoon, according to the event’s website, six aircraft were slated to perform a flyover display. According to social media posts, hundreds of people came to view the flyover. The three-day festival honors Veterans Day, which occurred on Friday.
Anthony Montoya witnessed the two aircraft collision.
“I stood still there. I was really shocked and incredulous “With a friend, Montoya, 27, attended the air show. “Everyone around was gasping for air. Everyone was crying uncontrollably. Everyone was shocked.”
The mayor of Dallas, Eric Johnson, termed it a “awful tragedy.”
He tweeted, “The videos are heartbreaking.” Please offer a prayer for the individuals that took to the air today to entertain and educate our families.
During World War II, the B-17, a massive four-engine bomber, was a cornerstone of American air supremacy. During World War II, the Kingcobra, a U.S. fighter aircraft, was mostly utilized by Soviet forces. Boeing reports that the majority of B-17s were destroyed at the end of World War II, and only a handful exist today, primarily on display in museums and air shows.
On Saturday, November 12, 2022, two planes collided and crashed at the Air Force’s Wings Over Dallas event. Agnes Calka
Coates of Commemorative Air Force, who also owned the aircraft, stated that no paying passengers were on board. He stated that their planes are flown by highly skilled volunteers who are frequently retired pilots.
Several Twitter videos depicted what appeared to be a collision between a fighter jet and a bomber, resulting in the aircraft’s rapid descent to the earth and the release of a massive cloud of fire and smoke.
Victoria Yeager, the widow of renowned Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager and a pilot herself, was also in attendance. She did not see the collision, but she did observe the ablaze wreckage.
“It was pulverized,” said 64-year-old Fort Worth resident Yeager.
“We merely hoped they had all escaped, but we knew they hadn’t,” she said of the passengers.
Aubrey Anne Young, 37, of Leander, Texas, who witnessed the crash, described it as “very horrifying to witness.” Her children were inside the hangar with their father when it occurred. “I’m still attempting to comprehend it.”
A woman can be heard crying and yelling uncontrollably next to Young in a video that Young posted to her Facebook page.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will lead the inquiry.
Safety at air shows, particularly with aging military aircraft, has been a problem for decades. In 2011, eleven people were murdered when a P-51 Mustang crashed into spectators in Reno, Nevada. Seven people were killed when a bomber crashed in Hartford, Connecticut in 2019. Since 1982, the NTSB has reviewed 21 accidents involving bombers from World War II, resulting in 23 fatalities.