Two vintage airplanes collide and crash during Dallas air show
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — Two vintage airplanes collided and crashed during a flyover at a commemorative air show in Dallas on Saturday, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed in a statement.
A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra were participating in the Air Force's Wings Over Dallas air show reenacting a World War II raid when they collided mid-air near the Dallas Executive Airport just before 1:30 p.m., the FAA said.
In a press conference, the Commemorative Air Force said B-17s usually run with a crew of four or five people and that only one person was onboard the P-63.
The CAF did not give the exact number of people involved in the crash nor their conditions. They have not been publicly identified, but the CAF said their families are receiving counseling.
There were no reported injuries among spectators or anyone else on the ground.
According to the event's website, several planes were scheduled to do a flyover demonstration Saturday afternoon. Social media posts showed hundreds of people gathered to watch the flyover. The 3-day event is in honor of Veteran's Day, which was Friday.
The Dallas Executive Airport Twitter account tweeted early Saturday afternoon that there had been an "incident" during the show, and that fire authorities were responding to the scene.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson called it a "terrible tragedy."
"The videos are heartbreaking," he tweeted. "Please, say a prayer for the souls who took to the sky to entertain and educate our families today."
Dallas Judge Clay Jenkins said his "heart goes out to all the individuals and families affected by the horrible tragedy at the Wings Over Dallas air show today"
Jenkins pledged that "Dallas County will stand ready to assist [with the investigation] however we can."
Dallas Fire-Rescue confirmed that the debris field includes the airport grounds, Hwy 67, and a nearby strip mall. Several nearby roads were closed as a result but have since reopened.
The FAA is currently leading the investigation, which will be taken over by the NTSB later this evening.
The CAF declined to speculate on the possible cause of the crash pending the outcome of the investigation but said that "this was not about the aircraft," which are "safe" and "well-maintained," and that pilots are well-qualified and trained.
Below, thousands of spectators witnessed the crash.
"In a moments' notice, it was all in flames and at first I thought, 'Is that part of the show? Is that a detonation issue?' and then quickly realized there was something terribly wrong," said Scott Hall.
Hall and his 16-year-old daughter Kiya were right there close enough to feel the warmth of the flames.
"I just see like, flames and everything go flying and just fire everywhere," said Kiya Hall, "Everyone was just in shock and it was really devastating."
Spectator Michael Sanchez also took pictures during this mid-air collision, "I was just kind of following whatever that debris was and then when I look at my camera, 'Oh my gosh there's a wing coming down.'"
