Six died in the collision between two planes of World War II a Dallas, in Texas, in front of tens of thousands of people who were following one of the most anticipated airshows in the United States. Among the victims, legendary pilots such as Terry Barker, 35 thousand flight hours, and Len Root, who were part of the crew of the B-17 “Texas Raiders”, the most famous flying Fortress among the very few still authorized to fly: now only four.
The clash was filmed by thousands of spectators’ cellphones recalled by the Wings Over Dallas airshow held annually on November 11 on Veterans Day.
From now on, the pilots’ failures or illnesses can be excluded: the collision is the consequence of a maneuver that mainly involves the single-engine pilot who, turning left, did not see the imposing four-engine aircraft that was flying over the Dallas runway. Executive Airport. In all likelihood, the trajectory of the B-17 was found in one of the “blind spots” that fighter pilots like the P-63 must manage during every phase of flight, take-off and landing. Thus the single-engine Kingcobra hit the flying Fortress almost in the center of the fuselage, causing the detachment of the tail. A devastating impact, a few hundred meters above the ground, which left no way out for the fighter pilot himself and the 5 crew members of the four-engine. The wreckage of the two aircraft fell, igniting a fire and a column of black smoke. As fate would have it, there were no victims among the people on the ground.
It is one of the most serious incidents in the history of air shows in the United States. In 2019 there were 7 deaths in Connecticut, always during an air show that saw a B-17 crash.
It will also be crucial to reconstruct the communications of the pilots with the control tower that dictates the timing of the “passages” of the aircraft during the airshow: these historic aircraft, carefully restored and very high costs mitigated by the commitment of the volunteers, are entrusted to pilots very experts. They are also volunteers, very popular in the world of civil and military aviation.
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The shock incident in Dallas: what happened
The Federal Aviation Administration says the two aircraft a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collided and crashed around 13.20 on Saturday, local time (20.20 Italian time). The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have opened an investigation.
“We currently have no information on the status of the flight crews as rescuers are working on the incident“said Leah Block, spokesperson for the Commemorative Air Force. Block told ABC News that there should be five crew members on the B-17 and one on board the P-63.
