After Crash at Air Show, a Death Toll of 6

Two vintage planes collided in Dallas
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 13, 2022 8:17 AM CST
After Crash at Air Show, a Death Toll of 6
Debris from two planes that crashed during an airshow at Dallas Executive Airport lie on the ground Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022.   (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Six people were killed after two historic military planes collided and crashed to the ground Saturday afternoon during a Dallas air show, 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, per the AP. He said authorities are continuing to work to identify the victims. Officials did not specify how many people were inside each plane, but Hank Coates, president of the company that put on the air show, said one of the planes, a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, typically has a crew of four to five people. The other, a P-63 Kingcobra fighter plane, has a single pilot.

The crash occurred at the Dallas Executive Airport, about 10 miles from the city’s downtown. News footage from the scene showed crumpled wreckage of the planes in a grassy area inside the airport perimeter. No injuries were reported among people on the ground. Anthony Montoya saw the two planes collide. “I just stood there. I was in complete shock and disbelief,” said Montoya, 27, who attended the air show with a friend. “Everybody around was gasping. Everybody was bursting into tears. Everybody was in shock.”

No paying customers were on the aircraft, said Coates, of Commemorative Air Force, which also owned the planes. 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. The collision occurred during the Commemorative Air Force Wings Over Dallas show. Victoria Yeager, the widow of famed Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager and herself a pilot, was also at the show. She didn’t see the collision, but did see the burning wreckage. “It was pulverized,” said Yeager, 64, who lives in Fort Worth. “We were just hoping they had all gotten out, but we knew they didn’t."

(More plane crash stories.)

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