Six people died in a World War II plane crash Saturday at an air show in Dallas, Texas in the United States, a local elected official announced on Sunday. A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber and a Bell P-63 KingCobra fighter collided in the air on Saturday afternoon, the aviation regulator, the FAA, said in a statement earlier.
“According to the Dallas County Medical Examiner, there are a total of six fatalities from yesterday’s accident at the Wings over Dallas Air Show,” Dallas County Leader Clay Jenkins said on Twitter. “The authorities will continue to work today on the investigation and on the identification of the deceased,” he said.
BREAKING: Two military planes collided and crashed to the ground Saturday during a Dallas air show. It was unclear how many people were on board the aircraft or if anyone on the ground was hurt.
— Poli Alert (@polialertcom) November 12, 2022
No spectators injured
The collision took place at the small Dallas Executive Airport, during a 1940s military aircraft show held over the November 11 holiday long weekend. Witnesses posted videos of the accident online. On one of them, one of the devices seems to break up before hitting the ground. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said on Twitter that “no spectators or anyone on the ground was injured.”
The pilots’ union Allied Pilots Association confirmed on Saturday evening that two of its retired members had died on board the B-17. “Our hearts go out to their families, friends, past and current colleagues,” the union said in a statement. During a press conference shortly after the tragedy, the chief of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) which organized the event, Hank Coates, declared that the B-17 normally operates with four or five crew members, while that the P-63 has only one pilot. He added that the pilots who operate these planes during such shows were experienced volunteers with “very extensive training”, and that they were often retired military pilots.