United States:
Two planes — a Boeing B-17 bomber and a smaller plane — collided mid-air on Saturday during an air show at Dallas Executive Airport in Texas, immediately fell to the ground and caught fire.
The condition of the pilots in both planes has yet to be determined, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
Dramatic footage captured by people attending the air show shows the larger B-17 bomber flying in a straight line, not very high off the ground, while the smaller plane – a Bell P-63 Kingcobra, from left in his direction. The smaller plane crashes on top of the B-17, a World War II aircraft, and the two planes immediately disintegrate, according to footage.
Within seconds, the planes are on the ground, covered in a fireball.
— Giancarlo (@GianKaizen) Nov 12, 2022
OMG – two planes collided during the ‘Wings Over Dallas’ air show today
This is crazy
— James T. Yoder (@JamesYoder) Nov 12, 2022
The collision occurred during the Air Force Wings Over Dallas memorial show, the Associated Press reported, adding that the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board have begun investigations.
In a tweet, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said there were still details that remained “unknown or unconfirmed.”
“As many of you have now seen, we had a terrible tragedy in our city today at an air show. Many details are unknown or unconfirmed at this time. The National Transportation Safety Board, along with the Dallas Police Department, are in command of the site of the accident and Dallas Fire-Rescue continues to provide support,” he said.
As many of you have now seen, we had a terrible tragedy in our city during an air show today. Many details are unknown or unconfirmed at this time. The @NTSB has taken command of the crash scene with @DallasPD and @DallasFireRes_q continue to provide support.
— Mayor Eric Johnson (@Johnson4Dallas) Nov 12, 2022
The B-17, a four-engined bomber, played an important role in winning the air war against Germany in World War II. With a reputation as a workhorse, it became one of the most produced bombers ever. The P-63 Kingcobra was a fighter aircraft developed by Bell Aircraft during the same war, but used only by the Soviet Air Force.
One of the last major crashes of a B-17 was on October 2, 2019, when seven people were killed in an accident at an airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.
(With inputs from AFP)
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