SPECTATORS AT THE DALLAS AIR SHOW GOT A REALISTIC DOSE OF WHAT WW2 AIR WARFARE WAS LIKE

Was B-17 in P-63 Kingcobra's BLINDSPOT? Fears fighter pilot may not have seen the bomber and caused crash 'that killed six people' at Dallas airshow

Two historic planes collided in mid-air at the Wings Over Dallas airshow Saturday afternoon after one appeared to veer into the blindspot of the other. Videos posted online show the B-17 encroaching below the P-63 as the Kingcobra was banking right, so it would not have been able to prepare for the impending crash. Soon, the Kingcobra collided with the bomber, tearing it apart as the larger plane split in half and crashes in a ball of fire nearby, horrifying spectators

By Melissa Koenig and Ronny Reyes

Daily Mail

November 12, 2022

 
A B-17 bomber appeared to stray into the blindspot of a P-63 Kingcorbra as the historic World War II-era planes collided in midair outside of Dallas on Saturday. 

  

Six people are feared dead at the Wings Over Dallas event when the P-63, seemingly unable to spot the B-17 below it, crashed into the large bomber, sending debris flying and igniting a fire nearby.

Jason Evans, a Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman, told the Dallas Morning News that the crash occurred at around 1.30pm above the Dallas Executive Airport. 

Video posted online shows a P-63 Kingcobra approaching the flight path of a Boeing B17 Flying Fortress bomber. The bomber appears to fly by the P-63's blindspot and the planes collide, ripping each other to shreds. 

A second video from a different angle shows how the B-17 approach the blindspot as the Kingcobra was banking right, so it would not have been able to prepare for the impending crash.  

The front of the B-17 split off from its rears as its wings caught on fire and it spiraled to the ground nearby.

The exact number of casualties has yet to be confirmed by officials, however, the Allied Pilots Association identified former members Terry Barker and Len Root, who are both part of the B-17 crew, among the deceased.  

ABC News producer Jeffrey Cook said six people, all crew members, are feared to be dead. 

The incident involving the rare World War II-era planes hearkens back to the deadly 2019 crash where a B-17 performing a 'heritage flight' tour slammed into a Connecticut airport that left seven dead.  

 

Video posted online shows a B17 bomber quickly approaching the flight path of a Bell P-63 Kingcobra

The larger plane slammed into the Kingcobra at around 1.30pm Saturday, tearing it to shreds

The bomber split in two, as its wings caught fire and it crashed to the ground off Highway 67 in Texas

 

Pictured: The fiery explosion that followed the devastating crash at the airshow on Saturday 

 

                 

                 

The Allied Pilots Association identified former members Terry Barker (top) and Len Root (bottom), who are both part of the B-17 crew, among the deceased

 

The Flying Fortress is like a 'tractor-trailer truck,' big enough to carry a crew of 10 or 11 people, while the Kingcobra is a single-pilot fighter plane.

Around 40 Fire-Rescue crews immediately responded to the scene.

Responding to the crash, the Allied Pilots Association tweeted: 'We are saddened to report that former APA members CA Terry Barker and CA Len Root were among the crew members lost on B-17 Flying Fortress during the Wings Over Dallas airshow today. Our hearts go out to their families, friends, and colleagues past and present.'

Both men were members of the B-17 crew, operating and maintaining the historic Texas Raiders aircraft, one of only five B-17s cleared for flying. 

Root, of Roanoke, Texas, was a married man with three adult daughters. Barker, of Keller, Texas, was also married.

Hank Coates, president and CEO of the Commemorative Air Force, which hosted the air show, would not comment on the casualties, but told reporters on Saturday afternoon that the B-17 involved 'normally has a crew of four to five,' while the P-63 is a 'single-piloted fighter type aircraft.' 

During the news conference, Coates refused to lay any blame for the accident, but noted that the aircrafts were not at fault. 

'This is not about the aircraft. It's just not,' Coates said. 'I can tell you the aircraft are great aircraft, they're safe. They're very well-maintained. The pilots are very well-trained. So it's difficult for me to talk about it, because I know all these people, these are family, and they're good friends.' 

Several videos posted on social media showed the fighter plane appearing to fly into the bomber, causing them to quickly crash to the ground and setting off a large ball of fire and smoke.

'It was really horrific to see,' Aubrey Anne Young, 37, of Leander. Texas, who saw the crash. Her children were inside the hangar with their father when it occurred. 'I´m still trying to make sense of it.'

A woman next to Young can be heard crying and screaming hysterically on a video that Young uploaded to her Facebook page.

 

While one plane completely erupted on fire, the piece of another landed just a few feet away (above) 

 

Black smoke from the crash bellowed upwards as spectators looked on in horror over the crash

 

The B17 raider was apparently being flown by a member of the Gulf Coast Wings Texas Raiders. They are pictured here

 

Root, of Roanoke, Texas, was a married man with three adult daughters

 

Along with Root, Barker (pictured) was a member of the Gulf Coast Wings Texas Raiders

 

Those on social media were also quick to point out that the B-17 had approached the smaller plane from its blindspot, which resulted in the crash. 

One Twitter user wrote: 'The P-63 definitely had the B-17 in its blindspot via the control panels. Neither plane could have saw each other in time and the face it was a direct hit just makes it worse.' 

Another user with the handle Omphile, agreed, tweeting: 'Yeses, he never saw it coming. That B-17 fell straight into a big blindspot.' 

HW Helser, another Twitter user, echoed the claims. He tweeted: It appears a P63 Kingcobra crashed in to a B-17 while banking left. The B-17 was probably in the P63's blindspot and didn't see the B-17 ahead. God bless the families of lost air crew members.' 

The consensus appeared to be widespread as Jake Hagen, another Twitter user, wrote: 'P-63 couldn't see below his nose or below his wings and he failed to check his blindspot before going into a banking turn to the left with the b-17 coming from the right crossing paths. p-63 pilot would not have seen him but it is his fault.' 

Victoria Yeager, the widow of famed Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager and herself a pilot, was also at the show. She didn't see the collision, but did see the burning wreckage.

'It was pulverized,' said Yeager, 64, who lives in Fort Worth.

'We were just hoping they had all gotten out, but we knew they didn´t,' she said of those on board.

Witnesses say debris was strewn over Highway 67 in Texas, where Fire Rescue authorities said an active fire has broken out. The highway was closed off and traffic was being diverted.

Footage from the aftermath showed smoke billowing above tents at the Dallas festival. Sources say the event was part of the Commemorative Air Force's show for the Veterans Day weekend. 

 

A Dallas resident took another video showing the crash from a nearby McDonald's

 

The front of the B17 bomber was completely destroyed after it burst into flames and landed near the airport

 

The front of the B17 split off from its rears as its wings caught on fire and it spiraled to the ground nearby

 

The bomber was apparently being flown by a member of the Gulf Coast Wings Texas Raiders. 

In a statement following the crash, Mayor Eric Johnson called the crash a 'terrible tragedy in our city.' 

'The videos are heartbreaking,' he wrote on Twitter. 'Please say a prayer for the souls who took to the sky to entertain and educate our families today.' 

Anthony Montoya saw the two planes collide, saying he was in complete shock at the horror.

'I just stood there. I was in complete shock and disbelief,' said Montoya, 27, who attended the air show with a friend. 'Everybody around was gasping. Everybody was bursting into tears. Everybody was in shock.'

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. 

 

Dallas Fire-Rescue squads are responding to the scene where the B17 bomber crashed down

 

Spectators said they were completely shocked and burst into tears when the planes collided and crashed 

 

Smoke was seen billowing into the sky above the Wings Over Dallas festival after two planes crashed mid-air

 

The crash occurred right over the Dallas Executive Airport, and debris was strewn along Highway 67 in Texas

 

Wings Over Dallas is an annual airshow hosted by Commemorative Air Force, an organization dedicated to preserving World War II-era aircraft.

Saturday was scheduled to be the second-day of the three-day show, but Friday's events were canceled due to inclement weather.

The schedule for Saturday's event included a parade of bomber planes, like the B17, followed by fighter escorts, like the P-63.

Videos of previous Wings Over Dallas events depict vintage warplanes flying low, sometimes in close formation, on simulated strafing or bombing runs. The videos also show the planes performing aerobatic stunts.

 

The two plans were flying over the Dallas Executive Airport when the crash occurred

 

The CAF was founded as a nonprofit in 1961 and the weekend show was part of its Air Power History Tour, advertised as a national tour of World War II-era planes. 

The group advertises that all of its shows include at least one extremely rare plane like a Boeing B-29 Superfortrss or a B-24 Liberator.

Air show safety - particularly with older military aircraft - has been a concern for years. 

In 2011, 11 people were killed in Reno, Nevada, when a P-51 Mustang crashed into spectators. In 2019, a bomber crashed in Hartford, Connecticut, killing seven people. 

The NTSB said then that it had investigated 21 accidents since 1982 involving World War II-era bombers, resulting in 23 deaths.

 

The Texas Raiders B-17 aircraft (above) was one of five of its type deemed airworthy. The historic World War II planes were used in daytime raids over Germany and to attack shipping fleets in the Pacific

Pictured: A Bell P-63 Kingcobra, the same model of the plane involved in Saturday's crash