P-63 Overtakes B-17, Collides, Sending Both Down
Updated 2122ET, 11.12.22: It has been a brutal weekend... a bloody brutal weekend.
Two warbirds flying during the Wings over Dallas Airshow, a Boeing B-17G and a Bell P-63F King Cobra, were downed via a midair collision in which the left banking P-63F overtook the Bomber from its left and took out the aft fuselage section, pretty much severing the airframe aft of the wing. The P-63F appears to have disintegrated on impact, while the two primary sections of the B-17 fragmented as they descended to impact near a highway.
As is common at today's public events, there is a lot of video of the accident -- and some assinine, heartless comments, to boot.
The midair took place at 1320 local time at the Dallas Executive Airport. At this early stage of the event, it seems unlikely at that anyone survived the accident and we have hopes that this tragedy did not affect anyone on the ground. The P-63F is apparently #311719, N6763, and is a veteran of the Wings over Dallas event. The B-17, N7227C, is 'Texas Raiders.' It was a Douglas-Long Beach built B-17G-95-DL B-17 Flying Fortress, part of the Commemorative Air Force’s Gulf Coast Wing. The aircraft was hangared at General Aviation Services, which is located at Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport in Conroe, Texas.
The event has now been cancelled, in its entirety, and refunds will be given to ticket holders.
Official CAF Statement: This afternoon, two aircraft were involved in a mid-air collision at Dallas Executive Airport. The aircraft were a B-17 Flying Fortress and P-63 Kingcobra, both out of Houston. Currently we do not have information on the status of the flight crews as emergency responders are working the accident. The Commemorative Air Force is working with local authorities, the FAA, and the NTSB will conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident.
A CAF spokesperson, who has a god-awful job to do today, has confirmed five persons on board the B-17 and one on the P-63.
The NTSB has just released the following statement in regards to the deployment of an official 'Go-Team' to investigate this event: The NTSB is launching a go-team to investigate Saturday’s mid-air collision between a Boeing B-17G and a Bell P-63F near Dallas, Texas. Member Michael Graham will serve as spokesperson on scene. Team expected to arrive tomorrow.
Details are still being gathered... we will update this story, as appropriate. The folks here at ANN are sick at heart and send our prayers to all involved...
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