The NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board), the federal transportation safety agency, released a video on Monday that shows the wreckage of a B-17 bomber and a P-63 fighter jet that collided in midair during a performance in Dallas on Saturday.
Five occupants of the B-17G Flying Fortress and the pilot of the P-63 Kingcobra were killed in the accident, which scattered the wreckage over a large area of Dallas Executive Airport in Texas.
The NTSB video includes drone footage that gives an insight into the scale of the accident. It is possible to see part of the wings and fuselage of the Boeing bomber scattered in an area whose vegetation was burned by the fire caused by the impact on the ground.
#BREAKING: New angle of the mid-air collision obtained by @WFAA shows B-17 and other aircraft flying formations at #WingsOverDallas at 1:21p today, when it was hit by a P-63 and fell to the ground over the airfield at Dallas Executive Airport (RBD). pic.twitter.com/6NAS93b3re
— Jason Whitely (@JasonWhitely) November 12, 2022
Further ahead, structures similar to the radial engines of the B-17G delimit the end of the wreckage. To the right of the main impact site is the remains of the Bell fighter, with the tail still intact.
As videos recorded by people in the region show, the collision occurred when the P-63 fighter hit the rear of the fuselage of the B-17, causing the bomber’s tail to come loose and fall in an area close to a highway, along with the Kingcobra wings.
Both planes were part of the Commemmorative Air Force Museum, which has a huge collection of WWII aircraft. They participated in the air show “Wings over Dallas”, between November 11 and 13.
The NTSB and FAA are investigating the causes of the accident and a press conference was scheduled to take place later this Monday.
