Six people were killed after the P-63 and the B-17 “Texas Raiders” belonging to Commemorative Air Force collided and crashed to the ground on Nov. 12, 2022 afternoon during Commemorative Air Force Wings Over Dallas show at Dallas Executive Airport.
Six people were killed after the P-63 and the B-17 “Texas Raiders” belonging to Commemorative Air Force collided and crashed to the ground on Nov. 12, 2022 afternoon during Commemorative Air Force Wings Over Dallas show at Dallas Executive Airport, officials said.
“According to our Dallas County Medical Examiner, there are a total of 6 fatalities from yesterday’s Wings over Dallas air show incident,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins tweeted Sunday. He said authorities are continuing to work to identify the victims.
As reported by Military.com, emergency crews raced to the crash scene at the Dallas Executive Airport, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the city’s downtown. News footage from the scene showed crumpled wreckage of the planes in a grassy area inside the airport perimeter. Dallas Fire-Rescue told The Dallas Morning News that there were no reported injuries among people on the ground.
Officials did not immediately specify how many people were inside each plane, but Hank Coates, president of Commemorative Air Force that put on the airshow, said that the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, typically has a crew of four to five people. The P-63 Kingcobra fighter plane instead has a single pilot.
According to Coates no paying customers were on the aircraft. Their aircraft are flown by highly trained volunteers, often retired pilots, he said.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said the National Transportation Safety Board had taken control of the crash scene, with local police and fire providing support.
B-17G Flying Fortress Texas Raiders was one of the most recognized and popular warbirds flying at airshows. The US built 12,731 B-17s. Texas Raiders was the first Flying Fortress acquired solely for the purpose of restoration and use as a flying museum. The aircraft had been restored to wartime configuration by an entirely volunteer group of dedicated supporters, and had been on her mission to Educate, Inspire, and Honor for the Commemorative Air Force for over 50 years.
The P-63 King Cobra too belonged to the Commemorative Air Force. This World War II fighter was developed from the P-39 Airacobra, which it closely resembles. The US Army Air Forces never used the P-63 in combat, although some were used for fighter training. Many P-63s were exported as lend-lease aircraft; the Soviet Union received 2,456 and Free French forces obtained 300. Since the P-63’s low-level performance was adequate, it was widely used by the Soviets for such missions as “tank busting.” Bell produced 3,305 P-63s, 13 of which were P-63Es.
As we reported back then, on Oct. 2, 2019, Collings Foundation B-17 Flying Fortress Nine-O-Nine crashed at the Bradley International Airport in Windsor Lock, Connecticut., killing seven people.
Photo credit: Nathaniel Ross/AP and LM Otero/AP
