MTFCA Forum

I figured that I would post a topic about the recent WWII Airshow disaster this past weekend. Since we both share the same goals of teaching the next generations (such as myself) about the importance of history, and keeping it "alive" I thought that I should inform you all.

On September 12, 2022, Two WWII aircraft collided during the annual Wings Over Dallas Air Show in Dallas Texas.
They were flying for part of a Veterans day commemoration.
All 6 people on board died. One person was aboard the fighter, and five were aboard the bomber. There were no paying passengers on board.
The aircraft involved were a B-17G Flying Fortress "Texas Raiders", and a P-63F Kingcobra.
The fighter was executing a turn to the inside of the bomber. The fighter looks like it did not have enough space to complete the turn, and did not see the bomber, and struck the B 17, cutting it in half. Both aircraft were only about 600 ft above the ground. Both aircraft hit the ground and exploded. I will not be posting any pictures or videos of the crash itself, since some people died, and I do not feel that I should be spreading that content around the forum. There are numerous videos of the crash on Facebook and YouTube. Many people have speculated about what caused the incident, but no one knows for sure.
If you are looking for more information on the crash, you can search 'Texas Raiders" (Name of the B 17) or Wings over Dallas Crash.
Both of the aircraft were part of the Commemorative Air Force.
Here are some links to articles regarding the crash:
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/b ... as-airshow

This link is the history of the B-17 https://b17texasraiders.org/index.php/i ... as-raiders

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/plane ... t/3123720/

Commerative air force website: https://commemorativeairforce.org/

Commerative air force incident updates: https://commemorativeairforce.org/pages/media-inquiries




Thoughts and Prayers go out to the family of the victims of the accident.

A tragedy all around. No one on the ground was injured, but the planes and all aboard are gone forever. It looks as if the pilot of the fighter did not see the bomber ahead and at a lower altitude. I don't see what the bomber pilot could have done to avoid the crash. A pilot cannot see all around his plane, especially in a prop driven fighter plane.

Having been around folks that restore and fly old military planes recently, I can admire their dedication, passion and skill. They love what they do and know the risks. It is always a tragedy beyond what we can imagine. Some have tried to encourage me to join them, but I yield to machines I can pull over to the side of the road when problems come up.
I feel for their loved ones and friends.
Rich

I went to the Reno Air Races for over twenty years and fortunately I never witnessed an incident although there were some crashes but I wasn't there. In some of the early original photos if you look closely there is a parachute ejected from, most likely the King Cobra. There appears to be a seat assembly with it, but that is all I can see.

Austin,

I appreciate your post. This was a terrible affair, and a stark reminder of the fragility of life - particularly with some of our pursuits.

Luke.

The fabric debris is most likely the chute from the Kingcobra but it doesn't appear that there is any thing attached to it.

Many WWII airplanes had fabric covered, metal framed control surfaces, that may be the fabric mentioned.