DALLAS – Two planes were involved in a midair collision in the Wings Over Dallas Airshow featuring World War II era aircraft being held Saturday afternoon at the Dallas Executive Airport. The crash occurred about 1:25 p.m., according to Fox News Digital.
Dallas Fire-Rescue told inquiring media outlets that it does not have any information about the status of the pilots or any injuries on the ground at the present time.
“A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collided and crashed at the Wings Over Dallas Airshow at Dallas Executive Airport in Texas around 1:20 p.m. local time Saturday,” the Federal Aviation Administration said. “At this time, it is unknown how many people were on both aircraft.”
A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collided midair and crashed to the ground at the Wings Over Dallas Airshow Saturday afternoon, according to the FAA. (Twitter/Doc Gritty)
WARNING: Graphic footage.
“It’s like literally as you looked up you saw the big plane and then you saw one of the little planes split off from the three and then as soon as it split off it’s like they just collided into each other and the little plane split the big plane in half. I honestly can’t believe that we witnessed that, like just standing here underneath it.” said Morgan Curry who saw the crash from a nearby parking lot, NBC DFW reported. “We were all just standing there like ‘what just happened?'”
Prior to the midair collision, the airshow was marketed as a chance to “re-live history,” featuring a selection of World War II aircraft on display and in action, according to Fox.
In a press conference on Saturday evening, Hall Coates, the president of the Commemorative Air Force, declined to say the exact number of fatalities involved in the tragedy. However, he noted the B-17 typically carries four to five crew members while the P-63 was a single passenger aircraft.
Per normal protocol, the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board said that they will investigate the incident.
