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2022 Dallas air show mid-air collision

Coordinates: 32°40′25″N 96°51′40″W / 32.67361°N 96.86111°W / 32.67361; -96.86111
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2022 Dallas airshow mid-air collision
The destruction of the two aircraft immediately after colliding; the forward section of Texas Raiders is visible at center-left, while the tail can be seen just below it, behind the vehicles in the foreground.
Accident
DateNovember 12, 2022 13:22 UTC−6 (1:22 PM CST)
SummaryMid-air collision at Wings Over Dallas airshow, under investigation
SiteDallas Executive Airport (RBD), Dallas, Texas
32°40′25″N 96°51′40″W / 32.67361°N 96.86111°W / 32.67361; -96.86111
Total fatalities6
Total survivors0
First aircraft

N7227C, the B-17G involved in the accident, in October 2019
TypeBoeing B-17G-95-DL/PB-1W Flying Fortress
NameTexas Raiders
OperatorAmerican Airpower Heritage Flying Museum
RegistrationN7227C
44-83872 (s/n)
77235 (BuNo)
Flight originDallas Executive Airport, Dallas, Texas
Occupants5
Crew5
Fatalities5
Survivors0
Second aircraft

N6763, the Bell P-63F involved in the accident, in October 2019
TypeBell P-63F-1-BE Kingcobra
OperatorAmerican Airpower Heritage Flying Museum
RegistrationN6763
43-11719 (s/n)
Flight originDallas Executive Airport, Dallas, Texas
Occupants1
Crew1
Fatalities1
Survivors0

On November 12, 2022, two World War II-era aircraft, a B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra, collided mid-air and crashed during the Wings Over Dallas airshow at Dallas Executive Airport in Dallas, Texas, United States.[1] The collision occurred at 1:22 p.m. local time (CST, UTC−6). The airshow, which coincided with Veterans Day commemorations, was organized by the Commemorative Air Force.

Officials reported that the B-17 had a crew of five while the P-63 had a single occupant; all six were confirmed by the Dallas County Medical Examiner to have died. Both aircraft were destroyed on impact.[2][3]

Aircraft

The B-17 involved was Texas Raiders, a Douglas-Long Beach built B-17G-95-DL, aircraft registration number N7227C, which first entered service in 1945 and was operated by American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum. It was one of the few surviving B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft that remained airworthy.[4][5]

The second aircraft involved was a P-63F-1-BE Kingcobra registered N6763, which was also operated by American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum. This plane was one of only two P-63F variants ever built and was one of only five P-63s that remained airworthy. It did not have a name and was painted in its original "X" test markings, originally used as reference points for tracking purposes.[6][7]

Crash

The crash occurred at the Dallas Executive Airport during an airshow that had drawn more than 4,000 spectators. Both aircraft were typically piloted by highly trained volunteers, in many cases retired professional pilots.[8] Texas Raiders was the lead aircraft of a five-bomber formation, and the P-63F was the third aircraft of a three-fighter formation.[9]

ADS-B data and recorded radio transmissions showed the air boss directed the bomber formation to fly down the 1000-foot show line, which is parallel to and 1,000 ft (300 m) from the spectator viewing line; simultaneously, the fighters were directed to enter a trail formation, in which the wingmen fly behind and beneath the lead aircraft, and proceed to fly in front of the bomber formation down the 500-foot show line.[9] The apparent intent, from a pilot observing the action from the ground, was to execute single-ship passes.[10] According to witness accounts, the P-63F was performing a high-speed descending banked turn onto the runway approach.[11] It collided with the B-17 on the rear port quarter from above, severing the B-17's fuselage from a point just aft of its wings. Both aircraft broke apart and hit the ground seconds afterward, exploding and erupting into flames.[11]

A pilot witnessing the mid-air collision from the ground has speculated the P-63F pilot may have mis-identified one of the trailing bombers as the leader, causing him to assume he had already cleared the flight path of the bomber formation. This in turn led him to tighten his line and assume an attitude with the P-63F's belly towards the bomber line, leaving him blind to the approaching B-17.[10]

Victims

All six crew members on board both aircraft were killed. No injuries or fatalities were reported on the ground.[12] It was the Commemorative Air Force's first fatal accident in 17 years.[13][14]

The five fatalities aboard the B-17 were Terry Barker, Kevin "K5" Michels, Dan Ragan, Leonard "Len" Root, and Curtis J. Rowe. Craig Hutain was identified as the sole pilot of the Bell P-63.[15][16][17][18]

Terry Barker was a former American Airlines pilot for 36 years, a former Army helicopter pilot, and former city council member in Keller, Texas.[19][20][18] Craig Hutain, the sole pilot and fatality aboard the Bell P-63, had started flying solo at the age of 17 and was a former commercial pilot for United Airlines and Rocky Mountain Airways. Hutain started flying as a child with his father, a World War II veteran, and had been a pilot for the Tora! Tora! Tora! airshow, a reenactment of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, at the time of his death.[18] Kevin "K5" Michels, the youngest of the deceased, was an active member of the Commemorative Air Force acting as historian, media representative, and tour supervisor for the organization.[18] Len Root was a retired commercial pilot who had flown for American Airlines for nearly four decades.[18][20] Dan Ragan was a Korean War veteran who served as a radio operator in the 1950s on the naval variant of the B-17, which was designated PB-1W. He lived in Dallas and was a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma.[16][21] Curtis J. Rowe was from Hilliard, Ohio and was a member of the Civil Air Patrol for more than three decades.[22][18]

Investigation

FAA and NTSB personnel at the crash site.

On the day of the crash, both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) launched investigations into the accident.[5] On November 14, the NTSB announced that the wreckage of the P-63 had been moved to a "secure location," while the recovery of the B-17 wreckage was delayed by rain. The NTSB confirmed that neither aircraft was equipped with a flight data recorder, but that a GPS navigator from the P-63 and an electronic flight display from the B-17 had been recovered and were being taken to an NTSB laboratory in Washington, D.C. to be processed for "data and relevant information."[23]

On November 30, the NTSB released a preliminary report. The report noted the lack of "altitude deconflictions briefed before the flight or while the airplanes were in the air."[9] That is, the aircraft were allowed to operate at the same altitude. The report also noted that the GPS navigator in the P-63 did not record any information during the flight.[9] On January 12, 2023, the ATC audio was released. No altitude advice was given.[24]

The P-63F involved in the accident was known to have compromised visibility from the cockpit due to metal reinforcements; however, the wings are set further back from the cockpit compared to a P-51 Mustang, so a pilot would have better ventral visibility.[25]

Public response

Several Texas officials reacted publicly to the crash. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said on Twitter, "My heart goes out to all the individuals & families affected by the horrible tragedy at the Wings Over Dallas air show today. Please join me in praying for all."[26] Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson called the accident "a terrible tragedy in our city."[27] The president of the Commemorative Air Force, which organized the show, said that this kind of mid-air collision during an airshow was "extremely rare."[28]

References

  1. ^ Deliso, Meredith (November 13, 2022). "6 dead after 2 planes collide and crash during WWII air show in Dallas". ABC News. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  2. ^ Jenkins, Clay [@JudgeClayJ] (November 13, 2022). "According to our Dallas County Medical Examiner, there are a total of 6 fatalities from yesterday's Wings Over Dallas air show incident. Authorities will continue working today on the investigation & identification of the deceased. Please pray for their families and all involved" (Tweet). Retrieved November 13, 2022 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Otero, LM; Bleed, Jill (November 13, 2022). "6 killed after vintage aircraft collide at Dallas air show". Boston.com. AP. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  4. ^ Otero, Lm; Bleed, Jill (November 12, 2022). "Two aircraft collide, crash during Dallas air show". The Washington Post. AP. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Riess, Rebekah; Tucker, Emma (November 12, 2022). "Vintage military aircraft collide mid-air at Dallas air show". CNN.com. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  6. ^ Ranter, Harro. "Accident Bell P-63F Kingcobra N6763, 12 Nov 2022". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  7. ^ "Warplane Survivors USA: Texas (Book)". Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  8. ^ Bacon, John (November 13, 2022). "'Pulverized everybody and everything': 6 die in midair collision of WWII planes at Dallas air show". USA Today. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d Souza, Lukas (November 30, 2022). "NTSB Releases Preliminary Report On Dallas Airshow Crash". SimpleFlying. Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via MSN.com.
  10. ^ a b Evans, Douglas (November 15, 2022). "Wings Over Dallas airshow tragedy: an eyewitness account from a pilot". Air Facts. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Landers, Jamie; Volmert, Isabella; Jones, Aria; Adatia, Noor (November 12, 2022). "Planes collide during air show at Dallas Executive Airport". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  12. ^ Burns, Ahraya; Reyes, Jacob. "6 Dead After 2 Planes Crash Mid-Flight During Airshow in Dallas". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  13. ^ "ASN Aviation Safety Database results for 'American Airpower Heritage'". Aviation Safety Net. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  14. ^ "ASN Aviation Safety Database results for 'Commemorative'". Aviation Safety Net. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  15. ^ Dominguez, Catherine (November 14, 2022). "Montgomery man identified as pilot of WWII fighter that crashed at Dallas air show". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Lyman, Jill (November 13, 2022). "One of B-17 crash victims spoke with 14 News in 2021". 14 News. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  17. ^ Steinbuch, Yaron (November 14, 2022). "All six crewmen identified in fatal collision at Dallas airshow". New York Post. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  18. ^ a b c d e f Cabral, Sam (November 14, 2022). "Dallas air show crash: Victims in collision of WWII planes identified". BBC News. Yahoo News. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  19. ^ Clarridge, Emerson (November 14, 2022). "Former Keller councilman, 67, among 6 victims of midair collision at Dallas air show". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Ramos, Harriet (November 12, 2022). "2 planes collide midair at Dallas air show; up to 6 people believed to have been on board". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  21. ^ Anderson, John (July 2, 2021). "Korean War veteran at his plane in Tyler 67 years after the war". Tyler Morning Telegraph. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  22. ^ Walsh, Maeve; Halperin, Eric (November 13, 2022). "Family, friends remember Hilliard man killed in Texas air show crash". NBC4 WCMH-TV. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  23. ^ Ferguson, Lana (November 14, 2022). "1 plane moved to 'secure location' as rain delays recovery of B-17 from Dallas crash site". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  24. ^ "FAA releases audio from deadly Wings Over Dallas Air Show crash between air boss, pilots". Dallas News. January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  25. ^ Williams, Michael (December 1, 2022). "What's next after the preliminary NTSB report on the Dallas air show disaster?". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  26. ^ Jenkins, Clay [@JudgeClayJ] (November 12, 2022). "My heart goes out to all the individuals & families affected by the horrible tragedy at the Wings Over Dallas air show today. Please join me in praying for all. The @NTSB will be the lead agency on this investigation but Dallas County will stand ready to assist however we can" (Tweet). Retrieved November 12, 2022 – via Twitter.
  27. ^ Johnson, Eric [@Johnson4Dallas] (November 12, 2022). "As many of you have now seen, we have had a terrible tragedy in our city today during an airshow. Many details remain unknown or unconfirmed at this time. The @NTSB has taken command of the crash scene with @DallasPD and @DallasFireRes_q continuing to provide support" (Tweet). Retrieved November 12, 2022 – via Twitter.
  28. ^ Patel, Vimal; Rubin, April (November 12, 2022). "6 Dead After Planes Collide in Midair at Dallas Air Show, Official Says". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 13, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
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