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2022 Dallas air show mid-air collision

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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 air show at Dallas Executive Airport in Dallas, Texas, United States.[1] The air show, which coincided with Veterans Day commemorations, was organized by the Commemorative Air Force.

2022 Dallas air show 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, 1:22 p.m. CST (UTC-6)
SummaryMid-air collision at Wings Over Dallas air show, under investigation
SiteDallas Executive Airport (RBD), Dallas, Texas
32°40′25″N 96°51′45″W / 32.67361°N 96.86250°W / 32.67361; -96.86250
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

Just before the crash, the air boss directed the bomber formation to fly parallel to the spectator viewing line, while the fighters were instructed to enter a trail formation and fly in front of the bombers. According to witnesses, the P-63F executed a high-speed descending banked turn onto the runway approach, colliding with the B-17 and causing both planes to break apart and burst into flames.

The B-17 had a crew of five, while the P-63 had a single occupant. All six died as confirmed by the Dallas County Medical Examiner. Both aircraft were destroyed on impact. On November 30, the NTSB released a preliminary report, highlighting the absence of altitude deconfliction briefings and revealing that the P-63's GPS navigator failed to record any information during the flight, with the ATC audio released on January 12, 2023, confirming no altitude advice was provided.

Aircraft

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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.[2] It was one of the few surviving B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft that remained airworthy.[3][4] The second aircraft involved was a P-63F-1-BE Kingcobra registered N6763, which was also operated by American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum.[2] This plane was one of only two examples of the P-63F variant ever built.[5]

Accident

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FAA and NTSB personnel at the crash site.

The collision occurred at 1:22 p.m.[6] local time at the Dallas Executive Airport during a Wings Over Dallas air show organized by the Commemorative Air Force, a non-profit organization whose goal is to preserve historic aircraft.[7] The air show, hosted over a commemorative Veteran's Day weekend, had drawn more than 4,000 spectators.[7] 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.[citation needed]

ADS-B data and recorded radio transmissions reveal that the air boss instructed the bomber formation to follow the 1,000 feet (300 m) show line, which runs parallel to and is situated 1,000 feet (300 m) away from the spectator viewing line. Concurrently, the fighters were directed to adopt a trail formation—where wingmen fly below and behind the lead aircraft—and advance along the 500-foot (150 m) show line, positioning themselves in front of the bomber formation.[citation needed] The apparent intent, according to a pilot observing the action from the ground, was to put themselves in front of the bomber.[9] According to witness accounts, the P-63F was performing a high-speed descending banked turn onto the runway approach.[10] 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.[10]

A pilot on the ground, who observed the mid-air collision, speculated that the P-63F pilot might have mistaken one of the trailing bombers for the leader.[9] This misidentification could have led the pilot to believe he had already cleared the bomber formation's flight path. Consequently, he tightened his trajectory and positioned the P-63F's belly towards the bomber line, inadvertently obscuring his view of the approaching B-17.[9]

Victims

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All six crew members on board both aircraft were killed, making it the Commemorative Air Force's first fatal accident in 17 years.[11][12] No injuries or fatalities were reported on the ground.[13] The five fatalities aboard the B-17 were: Terry Michael Barker, Kevin Dimitri "K5" Michels, Daniel Alexander Ragan, Leonard Lloyd "Len" Root and Curtis James Rowe. Craig Stephen Hutain was identified as the sole occupant and pilot of the single-seat Bell P-63.[14][15][16]

Terry Barker was a former American Airlines pilot from 1984 to 2020, a former Army helicopter pilot (1975–1978) and former city council member in Keller, Texas.[17][18][16] Craig Hutain, the pilot and fatality aboard the Bell P-63, had started flying solo at the age of 17 and was a former commercial pilot for Rocky Mountain Airways (1982–1985) and United Airlines (1985–2022). Hutain started flying as a child with his father, a World War II veteran, and was a pilot for the "Tora! Tora! Tora!" air show, a reenactment of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.[16]

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.[16] Len Root was a retired commercial pilot who had flown for American Airlines from 1986 to 2021.[16][18] Dan Ragan was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Korean War, 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.[15][19] Major Curtis J. Rowe was from Hilliard, Ohio and was a member of the Ohio Wing Civil Air Patrol since 1988.[20][16]

Investigation

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Photograph from Aviation Investigation Preliminary Report by NTSB showing the debris field following the crash

Following the crash, both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) launched investigations into the accident.[4] 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".[21]

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". 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.[6] On January 12, 2023, the ATC audio was released indicating that no altitude advice was given to the pilots.[22][23] The P-63F involved in the accident was known to have compromised visibility from the cockpit due to metal reinforcements.[24]

On March 8, 2024, the NTSB released the full docket on the mid-air collision to the public.[25]

Public response

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Several Texas officials reacted publicly to the crash. The president of the Commemorative Air Force, which organized the show, said that this kind of mid-air collision during an air show was "extremely rare".[7]

References

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  1. ^ Deliso, Meredith (November 13, 2022). "6 dead after 2 planes collide and crash during WWII air show in Dallas". ABC News. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Godlewski, Meg (November 14, 2022). "NTSB Launches Probe Following Dallas Airshow Accident". FLYING Magazine. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Otero, Lm; Bleed, Jill (November 12, 2022). "Two aircraft collide, crash during Dallas air show". The Washington Post. AP. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on November 19, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Riess, Rebekah; Tucker, Emma (November 12, 2022). "Vintage military aircraft collide mid-air at Dallas air show". CNN.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  5. ^ Persing, Sydney (November 15, 2022). "What makes a B-17 and P-63 so rare? In previously recorded videos, victims of Dallas air show crash describe love of planes". WFAA. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  6. ^ a b National Transportation Safety Board (November 2022). "Accident Number: CEN23MA034" (PDF). Aviation Investigation Preliminary Report. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c 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.
  8. ^ Bacon, John (November 13, 2022). "'Pulverized everybody and everything': 6 die in midair collision of WWII planes at Dallas air show". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Evans, Douglas (November 15, 2022). "Wings Over Dallas airshow tragedy: an eyewitness account from a pilot". Air Facts. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  10. ^ 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. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  11. ^ "ASN Aviation Safety Database results for 'American Airpower Heritage'". Aviation Safety Net. Flight Safety Foundation. Archived from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  12. ^ "ASN Aviation Safety Database results for 'Commemorative'". Aviation Safety Net. Flight Safety Foundation. Archived from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  13. ^ Burns, Ahraya; Reyes, Jacob (November 12, 2022). "6 Dead After 2 Planes Crash Mid-Flight During Airshow in Dallas". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  14. ^ Dominguez, Catherine (November 14, 2022). "Montgomery man identified as pilot of WWII fighter that crashed at Dallas air show". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Lyman, Jill (November 13, 2022). "One of B-17 crash victims spoke with 14 News in 2021". 14 News. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  16. ^ a b c d e f Cabral, Sam (November 14, 2022). "Dallas air show crash: Victims in collision of WWII planes identified". BBC News. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  17. ^ Clarridge, Emerson (November 14, 2022). "Former Keller councilman, 67, among 6 victims of midair collision at Dallas air show". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on November 13, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  18. ^ 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. Archived from the original on November 13, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  19. ^ Anderson, John (July 2, 2021). "Korean War veteran at his plane in Tyler 67 years after the war". Tyler Morning Telegraph. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  20. ^ Walsh, Maeve; Halperin, Eric (November 13, 2022). "Family, friends remember Hilliard man killed in Texas air show crash". NBC4 WCMH-TV. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  21. ^ 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. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  22. ^ Stengle, Jamie; Bleiberg, Jake (November 30, 2022). "Report: No altitude advice before Dallas air show crash". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  23. ^ "FAA releases audio from deadly Wings Over Dallas Air Show crash between air boss, pilots". Dallas News. January 12, 2023. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  24. ^ Williams, Michael (December 1, 2022). "What's next after the preliminary NTSB report on the Dallas air show disaster?". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  25. ^ "Project Summary: Aviation Investigation - 49 Docket Items - CEN23MA034". data.ntsb.gov. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
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