Larry Petterborg/AP
- Two military planes collided during an airshow in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday.
- A Boeing B-17 and a Bell P-63 were involved in the crash that left six people dead.
- The president of the Commemorative Air Force said the planes were safe and well-maintained.
Six people died in a plane crash during an airshow in Dallas, Texas, when two military jets slammed into each other mid-flight.
A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collided at around 1:20 p.m. local time at the Dallas Executive Airport, according to a statement by the Federal Aviation Administration.
A video posted to Twitter on Saturday showed the two planes crashing into each other, with the B-17 splitting in half on impact.
—Giancarlo (@GianKaizen) November 12, 2022
Another video posted on Twitter showed the smaller P-63 aircraft slamming into the B-17. Bystanders can be heard yelling in shock, with one asking, "Did it hit the plane?"
—David Sentendrey (@DavidSFOX4) November 12, 2022
Terry Barker, an Army veteran and former American Airlines pilot, was in the B-17 bomber that crashed, per a tweet from Armin Mizani, the mayor of Keller, Texas, on Saturday.
"Terry Barker was beloved by many. He was a friend and someone whose guidance I sought," Mizani wrote.
On Sunday, the Allied Pilots Association identified Len Root as Barker's copilot in the B-17 aircraft.
Authorities are still working to identify the remaining victims, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins tweeted on Sunday.
Retired pilots typically volunteer to fly the planes at the airshow, Hank Coates, the president of the Commemorative Air Force, told the Associated Press. Coates said the planes were in good condition despite being vintage and dating back to World War II.
"This was a WW2 flight demonstration type air show where we highlight the aircraft and their capabilities," Coates said in a BBC report.
The B-17 is best known for being deployed during World War II in the Allies' fight against Germany.
Scott M. Lieberman/AP
"This is not about the aircraft — it's just not," Coates said, according to The Dallas Morning News. "The aircraft are great aircraft; they're safe, they're very well maintained, the pilots are very well trained."
A photo taken by AP showed the aircraft exploding and hitting the ground, engulfed in a ball of smoke and fire. No one on the ground was injured, the BBC reported, citing firefighters at the scene.
Route 67, a major north-south highway out of Dallas, was closed in both directions after debris from the collision scattered onto the roads, the Dallas Police Department said on Twitter.
Larry Petterborg/AP
Some 4,000 to 6,000 people were at the airshow when the collision happened, Coates said, per The Dallas Morning News.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are currently investigating the crash.
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