2 airplanes collide and crash during Wings Over Dallas air show
Two World War II-era airplanes collided and crashed while performing a flyover at a commemorative event in Texas on Saturday, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. It was not immediately clear how many people were on the planes.
A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra were participating in the Air Force’s Wings Over Dallas air show when they collided mid-air near the Dallas Executive Airport just before 1:30 p.m. local time, the FAA said.
According to the event’s website, several planes were scheduled to do a flyover demonstration Saturday afternoon. Social media posts showed hundreds of people gathered to watch the flyover. The 3-day event is in honor of Veteran’s Day, which was Friday.
The Dallas Executive Airport Twitter account tweeted early Saturday afternoon that there had been an “incident” during the show, and that fire authorities were responding to the scene.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson called it a “terrible tragedy.”
“The videos are heartbreaking,” he tweeted. “Please, say a prayer for the souls who took to the sky to entertain and educate our families today.”
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation.
