Six dead after WWII planes collide at Dallas Airshow U.S. News

Two historic military planes collided at an air show in Dallas, killing six people.

The planes – a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber and a P-63 King Cobra fighter jet – collided at around 1.20pm local time.

They are part of the Dallas Memorial Air Force Wings show, held about 10 miles from downtown.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins tweeted: “According to our Dallas County Medical Examiner, a total of six people died in yesterday’s Dallas Air Show incident.”

Authorities are continuing their efforts to identify the victims, he said.

Officials have not confirmed how many people were on board in total, but B-17s typically carry four or five crew members, while Kingcobra has only one pilot.

The Dallas Morning News said there were no reports of injuries on the ground.

Anthony Montoya was one of those who saw the two planes collide, according to the Associated Press: “I was just standing there.

“I was in complete shock and disbelief.

“Everyone around was gasping. Everyone was crying. Everyone was shocked.”

The wreckage of two planes that crashed at the air show at Dallas Executive Airport lies on the ground on Nov. 11.  January 12, 2022.Image: Associated Press
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Image: Associated Press

Victoria Yeager, the widow of famed Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager, who is also a pilot herself, also participated in the exhibition.

She did not see the collision but did see the burning wreckage, saying the plane had been “shattered”.

“We just wish they were all out, but we know they haven’t,” she added.

During World War II, the B-17 was used for daytime bombing of Germany, while the Gold Cobra was used primarily by Soviet troops in the same conflict.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, and a team is expected to arrive later Sunday.

There have been a number of fatal accidents at American airshows in recent years.

Eleven people were killed when a P-51 Mustang crashed into a spectator in Reno, Nevada, in 2011.

In 2019, a bomber crashed in Hartford, Connecticut, killing seven people.

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