Dallas
Crash in the air: historic fighter and bomber collide at US air show, six people die
Shortly after the two planes collided, all that could be seen at Dallas Executive Airport was a gigantic fireball.
© Nathaniel Ross/DPA
Two World War II planes collided at the Wings over Dallas air show in the US state of Texas yesterday, Saturday. The crew of both planes did not survive the accident.
A rare sight in the sky: at the “Wings over Dallas“Air Show features old bombers and fighter planes from World War II, of which there are only a few left – and even fewer that are actually still flying. Yesterday, numerous onlookers gathered around Dallas Executive Airport and were able to watch , as Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Bell P-63 Kingcobra planes zoomed through the air.
But all that remains from that day are horrible videos on social media. Most of them show the huge Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber flying by while the Bell P-63 Kingcobra fighter approaches from the side. For reasons that are not yet clear, the small plane rams the side of the bomber and splits the plane in two. Both planes crash and the tragic accident ends in huge fireballs.
Second World War
The “Flying Fortress” B-17 greeted the German fighters with a hail of bullets
Investigations ongoing, Dallas show canceled
The collision between the two planes killed six people, District Judge Clay Jenkins said on Sunday, citing the coroner.
As for the cause, the investigation continues. The Dallas Mayor shared on Twitter information to the accident. Eric Johnson writes that the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is leading the investigation and that no bystanders were injured.
The victims were on the affected planes. According to Hank Coates, the air show’s president, a B-17 typically crews four or five people, while the Kingcobra is a single-seater. Victoria Yeager, a pilot who was also at the scene, told the broadcaster: “We just hoped they all got out, but we knew that wasn’t the case.”
Bomber possibly in blind spot
Grant English, who says he is a pilot-in-training, shared a picture of the Kingcobra’s cockpit on Twitter. It shows how confusing the plane is and deduces how difficult it must be to be able to see the surroundings properly. He writes: “I was at the ‘Wings over Dallas’ air show and saw the accident. The P-63 made a left turn and had the B-17 in its blind spot. The picture shows a cockpit of a P-63. That proves it , that there was no way he could have seen the B17.”
The airport is still closed for investigations. CBS writes that safety at air shows involving older makes has been an issue for years. In 2011, eleven people died when a P-51 Mustang crashed, and in 2019 seven people lost their lives when a bomber lost control. The NTSB says it has investigated a total of 21 accidents involving World War II aircraft since 1982, resulting in 23 deaths.