At a Dallas air show on Saturday, two World War II-era aircraft collided and crashed, according to US aviation authorities.
The incident early on Saturday afternoon featured a Bell P-63 Kingcobra fighter and a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress fighter from World War Two that were participating in the Wings Over Dallas Airshow at Dallas Executive Airport, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Around 1:20 pm, the planes collided and crashed, according to a statement from the FAA. During the Commemorative Air Force Wings Over Dallas performance, there was a collision.
Exactly how many individuals were in the two aircraft was not immediately known.
Six people are reportedly believed to be killed, according to a local ABC News television affiliate.
Airport officials reported the crash on Twitter, but the number of passengers on board the two aircraft was not immediately known, according to the FAA. Emergency crews flocked to the crash site.
The B-17 typically has a crew of four to five people, according to Hank Coates, president and chief executive officer of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), a group devoted to the preservation of World War Two combat aircraft.
Coates stated that there is only one pilot on board the P-63, but he would not disclose how many passengers were on board at the time of the crash, their names, or their conditions.
The National Transportation Safety Board had assumed charge of the crash site, according to Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, with assistance from the local police and fire departments.
Johnson wrote on Twitter, “The videos are heartbreaking.”
The Mayor recently provided a Twitter update, saying that while there have been no verified casualties, there have been no reports of spectator injuries.
Social media users recorded videos of the tragedy as it happened, showing the two planes colliding and crashing on the ground before bursting into flames. Live aerial footage captured the scene of the incident, which was an area of browned grass covered in aircraft debris.
The enormous four-engine bomber known as the B-17 was a mainstay of American air power during World War II and is one of the most renowned fighters in American history. During the conflict, Soviet forces mostly utilised the American fighter plane known as the Kingcobra.
Only a small number of B-17s are still in existence today, mostly on display at museums and air shows, according to Boeing, per an AP report. The majority of B-17s were destroyed at the end of World War II.
Safety at air shows has long been an issue, especially with older military aircraft. 11 individuals lost their lives in Reno, Nevada in 2011 when a P-51 Mustang collided with onlookers. Seven people were killed when a bomber crashed in Hartford, Connecticut, in 2019. The NTSB reported at the time that it has looked into 21 accidents involving bombers from World War II since 1982, which had led to 23 fatalities.
A webpage promoting the event refers to Wings Over Dallas as “America’s Premier World War II Airshow.” Veterans Day weekend, November 11–13, was set aside for the display, which promised to feature more than 40 World War II-era aircraft. The “bomber parade” and “fighter escorts,” which included the B-17 and P-63, were among the flying displays that were scheduled for that Saturday afternoon.
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