[imagesource: Twitter / @airlivenet]
It was a devastating Saturday at the Commemorative Air Force Wings Over Dallas show.
Six lives were lost along with two pieces of history – two World War II-era military planes – that collided in midair and crashed over the Dallas Executive Airport grounds.
People on the ground witnessed the moment when the planes battered each other in mid-air, sending large parts and shards flying. One plane part hit the ground so hard it sent a massive explosion cloud of smoke and fire into the air.
The Guardian cited a witness saying that seeing the two planes collide was truly shocking:
“Everybody around was gasping. Everybody was bursting into tears. Everybody was in shock.”
The aircrew in both planes was killed in the collision, which is seen in several heartbreaking videos on Twitter.
Angle one:
Six people are feared dead after a B-17 heavy bomber collided with another aircraft and crashed during an airshow in Dallas, Texas#Web3 #NEW #NewProfilePic #news #nsfwtwt #GFvip #Mondaymorning pic.twitter.com/pfu90LQ7kk
— Zoya (@Zoyakha83110301) November 14, 2022
Angle two:
Another view/angle of the devastating plane crash from the Dallas Air Showpic.twitter.com/yV4SEOSfGs
— MG (@arnau99999) November 12, 2022
Angle three:
BREAKING: 2 planes, including a B-17 Flying Fortress, collide at Dallas airshow pic.twitter.com/hdieiJuqvX
— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) November 12, 2022
Per the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) statement, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collided and crashed at about 1:20PM:
The B-17, an immense four-engine bomber, was a cornerstone of US air power during the second world war.
The Kingcobra, a US fighter plane, was used mostly by Soviet forces during the war.
Most B-17s were scrapped at the end of the second world war and only a handful remain today, largely featured at museums and airshows, according to Boeing.
The Allied Pilots Association – the labour union representing American Airlines pilots – has identified some of the people killed in the collision.
Two pilot retirees and former union members are among those lives lost, including Terry Barker and Len Root, as well as Curtis J. Rowe, according to CNN.
The B-17 typically carried four to five crewmembers while the P-63 had a seat only for the pilot, according to Hank Coates, president of the Commemorative Air Force.
He also told reporters that the families of crew members involved in the disaster, as well as witnesses, would be offered support, including emotional counselling after this traumatic event.
