Experts criticize Dallas air show operations in wake of deadly collision
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — The head of the Commemorative Air Force defended his volunteer organization today, insisting that its planes are safe and its pilots are well trained.
But a pilot who was watching here at the airport and an aviation attorney say tonight that it appears mistakes were made.
"I was standing on the edge of the tarmac on the south side of the field." Mark Colburn, a retired Dallas Police Department helicopter pilot, took photos of the ill-fated B-17 bomber just seconds before the collision. "The last photo that I shot was the spitfire overtaking the B-17."
Colburn was also listening to a radio call from the show coordinator on the ground telling the pilot of the P-63 to overtake the bomber. "They were in a turn and when the boss said to go ahead and take the lead, I thought, 'Well that's kind of rushing everything.'"
Colburn's gut reaction was confirmed moments later when he took his last photo.
"It was just an awful feeling," he recalled, "and of course you saw the big clouds of smoke, the black smoke that billowed up... oh my gosh it was just horrible, horrible to watch."
"I found deficiencies in pretty much all of their operations," said Kent Krause, a Dallas aviation attorney. "In my opinion, I would not get on one of those planes myself."
Krause represented victims of a deadly crash in Midland involving a B-26 that killed five people. It too was operated by the CAF, which was then called the Confederate Air Force.
"In certainly the matter I handled before, I thought there was lapses in both maintenance that occurred with aircraft as well as the skill of the pilots that were operating it," he added.
The head of the Commemorative Air Force has defended his organization's training and preparation in the wake of the crash.
In fact, before the crash, he posted photos on social media of a planning meeting inside a hangar that included the crews of the two planes who would lose their lives.
The NTSB, which will have the final say on what happened, will begin its investigation, as we've reported, here tomorrow.
