Jump to content

Midair collision Wings over Dallas air show.


Julien

Recommended Posts

It would seem a B-17 and P-63 had a mid air at the wings over Dallas air show today.

 

some not nice footage of the event on line which I won’t include here in deference to those who have probably died.

 

RIP 

  • Like 1
  • Sad 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Texas Raiders. Just seen the footage. I've no idea how this tragic accident occurred, and I'm not going to speculate, but that P-63 seemed to come out of nowhere. RIP to all. They didn't stand a chance.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've seen another video angle, and unfortunately the B17 was in the Kingcobra's blind spot under its nose. a Tragedy for all concerned

Edited by rob
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just got back home from Dallas and the Wings Over Dallas  put on by the CAF.  It is their largest show.  It was shut down due to one of their B-17s colliding with a P-63 King Cobra at the south end of the airport just before the runway area.  The information as to how many people on board the B-17 has not been released nor has their status.  The crash occurred during their flying routine with several B-17s, some B-25s, some P-51s, a B-24 and a P-63.  At first, it was thought to be some pyro technics going off at the wrong time, but when the fire went out of control for the two airport firetrucks to contain, most people realized it was something else. The airshow was shut down and all spectators were ordered to leave the airport.  When I left there were about 40 different first responder vehicles at the scene, along with a Med-Vac helicopter and a few news helicopters.

 

The explanation as to what happened has not been released, but the bombers were lining up to portray a bomber sweep with fighter aircraft flying cover that would pass at a low level parallel to one of the runways running north and south where the air show crowd was gathered.  It happened as the group was turning to approach the runway from the south.

 

Please give your thoughts and prayers to the aircrew on the downed aircraft, their families, the first responders, and the medical staff as they will need support to get through this tragedy.

  • Sad 11
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Slater said:

I watched the video. The P-63 appeared to impact in the bomber's midsection, breaking the aircraft in half. Looked like a straight-in approach, with no attempt at maneuvering. Not sure what the pilot's plan was.


No, the P-63 banked pointing his belly at the B-17, he completely lost situational awareness doing this. He could no longer see the B-17. The P-63 already has terrible blind spots.

 

An aircraft overtaking a slower aircraft is responsible to keep view of that aircraft.

 

This was totally preventable, from the planning, controlling, and the flying.

 

And yes, I trained and I am qualified in Human Factors facilitation in military aviation. There are far too many warbird owners who should not be in the cockpit.

 

The aviation safety net is supposed to prevent these types of accidents.

  • Like 14
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agree, it should have been preventable from a flying perspective, as said above.  But that's not to say it wasn't avoidable, for reasons which might not yet be clear.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've seen most angles, and saved a copy out of morbid curiosity not to be shared further. It's horrific, awful to watch. I really doubt anyone could survive that. It hits different, now that I fly solo. Not nice to see. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's quite a harrowing experience being at an airshow when there is a serious accident.  Unfortunately, I've been at two, Fairford 1993 when two Mig 29s collided mid-air and Shoreham 2015 when a Hawker Hunter crashed.

 

 

  • Sad 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very very sad. My sincere condolences to the families.

 

From the CAF

Quote

The aircraft involved were our B-17 Flying Fortress Texas Raiders N7227C and our P-63 Kingcobra N6763, both based out of the Houston area. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Saw this reported on the BBC - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-63612409

 

"It was not immediately clear how many people were in the two aircraft, but two victims have been named."

 

"The number of casualties are not yet confirmed, he said, but added that nobody on the ground had been reported injured."

 

"The B-17 usually has a crew of about four to five people, while the P-63 has a single pilot, said Hank Coates, from the Commemorative Air Force which organised the event - but he could not confirm any fatalities."

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Horrific incident. There are so many videos about it and at least one ‘news’ feed reporting it as deliberate, possibly based on social media comments. I hope that doesn’t gather traction and skew the general reporting. 
 

I have my own opinions on what I think has happened but I don’t think here is the place for that. Not until the FAA or appropriate body looks into it and publishes their report.
 

Thoughts are with those involved. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's still to early to know what happened. I just know because yt thought I'd be interested. I saw one video, that good enough for now. It'll get figured out soon. Of course there's all the wannabe aviation mechanic experts on yt and elsewhere  who say all older airplanes shouldn't be flying. Meanwhile nothing mechanical was involved here.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So sad to wake up the news that an unknown number of enthusiasts have lost their lives along with two irreplaceable beautiful aircraft. Such a horrific way to go. Hopefully it will turn out that very few people were on the B17.

  • Like 1
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...