TX- Dallas: Mid air crash at Wings Over Dallas air show

[CocoChanel]

Here is a previous accident involving a CAF plane.
Fortunately there were no fatalities in the 2018 incident that was also in Texas.
Commemorative Air Force Confirms Accident with WWII Aircraft C-47 Bluebonnet Belle

 

[CocoChanel]

‘Terrible tragedy in our city’: Planes crash during air show at Dallas Executive Airport

Safety at air shows has been a concern for years. Since 1982, the NTSB has investigated 21 accidents and 23 deaths related to WWII-era bombers, such as the B-17.

In 2011, a racing aircraft in Reno, Nev., crashed into spectators, killing 11 people, including the pilot. During England’s Shoreham Airshow in 2015, an aircraft crashed onto the road, killing 11 people and injuring 16.

In 2019, seven people died when a bomber crashed in Hartford, Conn.

 

[CocoChanel]

This is the story of a previous vintage air craft crash with fatalities in CT in 2019.
It does NOT appear that plane was affiliated with CAF, as the article does not mention it.
7 Dead After Vintage WWII Bomber Crashes and Erupts Into 'Ball Of Fire' at Connecticut Airport

 

[Cryptic]

My daughter (an FAA licensed aircraft mechanic and inspector) just messaged me "I feel the same ways about vintage airshows that you do about seeing helmetless kids on ATVs and toddlers sitting on someone's lap on a riding mower."

Your daughter and one of my relatives who is a Coast Guard career helicopter pilot think alike.

I asked him once whether he would go up in a WWII plane (expensive rides are available at airshows with the cost of the ticket being a donation to keep the plane(s) in the air).

His response..... "Sure- but not until my kids are all out of the house".

 

[charminglane]

Every time I hear there is an airshow, I think oh, no.
I know that a crash is a rare event, however I think these planes should stay on the ground.

 

[Knox]

Horrifying to watch

 

[Gardenista]

Not sure if this is a new story or updated, but it has info on a couple of the pilots

Planes crash in mid-air, sending debris flying

Two planes collided in mid-air at the Wings Over Dallas event Saturday, sending debris flying to Highway 67 in Dallas, Texas.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Gardenista]

NTSB Newsroom

@NTSB_Newsroom


NTSB Member Michael Graham to hold media briefing today at 3:00 p.m. Central on the Nov. 12, mid-air collision between a Boeing B-17G and a Bell P-63F, at the Dallas Executive Airport Terminal, 5303 Challenger Drive, Dallas, Texas.

 

[IceIce9]

It is official that 6 were killed in the tragedy

The crash claimed six lives, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins tweeted Sunday, citing the county medical examiner. Authorities are continuing to work to identify the victims, he said. It was not clear if there were any injuries or fatalities on the ground. Dallas Fire-Rescue told The Dallas Morning News there were no reports of injuries there.

Six dead in Dallas air show collision

DALLAS — Two historic military planes collided and crashed to the ground in a ball of flames during a Dallas air show, leaving six people dead, officials said.N

wgme.com

 

[MsMarple]

Not sure if this is a new story or updated, but it has info on a couple of the pilots

Planes crash in mid-air, sending debris flying

Two planes collided in mid-air at the Wings Over Dallas event Saturday, sending debris flying to Highway 67 in Dallas, Texas.

www.dailymail.co.uk

The DM keeps stating that the B-17 "approached the P-63's blind spot" which isn't accurate. I thought the "rule" is that when two aircraft converge the plane on the left gives way to the plane on the right, meaning it was the P-63 pilot's responsibility to clear his turn. Of course it appears the P-63 didn't see the bomber so it's a moot point.

All the pilots would have been briefed on strict formation maneuvers and rehearsed ahead of time. Was the flight plan flawed? Did someone make a last minute change? Hopefully the press conference will clear things up a bit.

IMO considering the danger and history of accidents I question the need for formation and stunt flying as opposed to just watching some of these rare planes fly, period. IMO.

 

[bettyboop]

Every time I hear there is an airshow, I think oh, no.
I know that a crash is a rare event, however I think these planes should stay on the ground.

@charminglane , I totally agree

 

[charminglane]

@charminglane , I totally agree

Right?
Accident waiting to happen.
No one needs to witness that, let alone the family of those that are flying.

 

[dotr]

rbbm.

Investigation underway over midair crash at Dallas air show

A national transportation official probing the cause of a midair crash of two historic military planes during an air show that left six people dead said Sunday that one of the key questions for investigators is why the aircraft were seemingly sharing the same space just before impact.

www.cp24.com

''Graham said five people were in the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber and a pilot was the only person in the P-63 Kingcobra fighter plane. The aircraft are owned by Commemorative Air Force, the company that put on the air show. The aircraft are flown by highly trained volunteers, often retired pilots, said Hank Coates, president of Commemorative Air Force.

John Cudahy is president of the International Council of Air Shows, a trade group that sets the standards air shows follow and oversees the training of pilots and “air bosses,” who serve as the flight controller for an event. Cudahy said that typically at air shows there is a Friday rehearsal where the pilots fly through the entire show to practice, so the Saturday show is actually the second time the pilots have flown the show. There are also detailed briefings each day to go over the plan for the air show and cover exactly where each pilot will be and their roles in the show.

“It’s still to early to figure out what happened yesterday. I’ve watched the tape several times and I can’t figure it out and I’ve been doing this for 25 years,” Cudahy said.''

 

[Gardenista]

NTSB Newsroom

@NTSB_Newsroom


NTSB Member Michael Graham to hold media briefing today at 3:00 p.m. Central on the Nov. 12, mid-air collision between a Boeing B-17G and a Bell P-63F, at the Dallas Executive Airport Terminal, 5303 Challenger Drive, Dallas, Texas.

 

[Gardenista]

Here's today's PC

 

[fred&edna]

I understand all the concerns about airshows but I also feel for the veterans so proud of "their" aircraft. I have photos of my father with his grandsons inside a B-17... I don't know who was more excited.

Also, I'll just mention I learned a great deal regarding some of the aspects of this airshow by watching a "brancolirio" on YT.

 

[Gardenista]

There's a YT creator who did a video about this and he also linked to a flight track overlay. He knew one of the pilots. <modsnip> Search YT for: 'Wings Over Dallas' Mid Air Collision Report

 

[Eloise]

Every time I hear there is an airshow, I think oh, no.
I know that a crash is a rare event, however I think these planes should stay on the ground.

I completely agree. These planes are vintage, antiques. They're not safe to fly like this IMO and they also belong in a museum or occasionally being taken out for sedate, sensible flights that respect their age and limitations. People's lives are not worth the moment of spectacle, and nor is the destruction of decades-old planes that survived wars.

 

[BeSweets]

Every time I hear there is an airshow, I think oh, no.
I know that a crash is a rare event, however I think these planes should stay on the ground.

I agree.

I understand all the concerns about airshows but I also feel for the veterans so proud of "their" aircraft. I have photos of my father with his grandsons inside a B-17... I don't know who was more excited.

Also, I'll just mention I learned a great deal regarding some of the aspects of this airshow by watching a "brancolirio" on YT.

I love this for you and your family. I can’t imagine what times were was like during WW2. My SO has been active duty for 11 years and works on jets.

I don’t see them retiring the shows any time soon, especially in Texas.

 

[PrairieWind]

I completely agree. These planes are vintage, antiques. They're not safe to fly like this IMO and they also belong in a museum or occasionally being taken out for sedate, sensible flights that respect their age and limitations. People's lives are not worth the moment of spectacle, and nor is the destruction of decades-old planes that survived wars.

It doesn't look to me that there was a failure of the aircraft. It appears to me that it was a case of the pilot not having awareness of traffic around him.