Tragedy at Dallas Airshow – Bell P-63 Kingcobra Collided With Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress: Two vintage military aircraft collided and crashed at an airshow in Dallas on Saturday, killing all on board. Plumes of black smoke could be seen billowing into the sky, while debris from the crash fell onto southbound Highway 67, which was shut down.
Airshow Tragedy in Dallas
The World War II planes included a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra fighter, and the smaller aircraft was seen to collide with the long-range heavy bomber at around 1:20 pm local time at the Commemorative Air Force Wings Over Dallas Airshow. Numerous videos that have been posted online showed the fighter plane appear to fly into the bomber, which caused both aircraft to break apart and quickly crash into the ground.
No Survivors
Leah Block, a spokesperson for Commemorative Air Force, told ABC News she believed there were five crew members on the B-17 and one aboard the P-63.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins confirmed via social media on Sunday that six people died in the crash. “Authorities will continue working today on the investigation & identification of the deceased. Please pray for their families and all involved,” he said in a tweet.
Each of the aircraft, which the Commemorative Air Force owned, was flown by highly trained volunteers, who are often retired pilots. No paying customers were on the aircraft during Saturday’s flight.
Victoria Yeager, the widow of famed United States Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager and herself a pilot, had been attending Saturday’s airshow. Though she didn’t see the collision, she did see the burning wreckage.
“It was pulverized,” Yeager, 64, who lives in Fort Worth, told NPR. “We were just hoping they had all gotten out, but we knew they didn’t.”
Tragic Events
Wings Over Dallas has been billed as “America’s Premier World War II Airshow,” and it was scheduled to run all weekend – where attendees could see more than 40 aircraft from the Second World War. Saturday afternoon’s schedule of flying demonstrations was to include a “bomber parade” and “fighter escorts.”
According to reports, past Wings Over Dallas airshows have depicted the vintage warbirds flying low in close formations, or simulating strafing and bombing runs.
Following the crash, all subsequent flighters were canceled.
This is the most recent crash involving a World War II-era aircraft, and airshow safety – particularly with older military aircraft – has been a serious concern in recent years.
In 2019, another B-17 Flying Fortress crashed in Hartford, Connecticut, killing seven people. Pilot error, along with inadequate maintenance, likely resulted in the crash. At the time ten passengers, who had each paid $450, were aboard the bomber.
In 2011, eleven people were tragically killed in Reno, Nevada, when a P-51 Mustang crashed into spectators. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has investigated 21 accidents since 1982 involving World War II bombers, resulting in 23 deaths.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation into Saturday’s crash.
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is one of the most famous military aircraft to see service during the Second World War. By the end of the conflict, 12,731 B-17 Flying Fortresses were built – but just thirteen were operational when Germany invaded Poland in September 1939.
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,000 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
