DALLAS – Two historic military planes crashed mid-air during an air show in Dallas Saturday afternoon, killing six people, according to Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.
The update was posted in a tweet on Sunday. He said authorities are continuing to work to identify the victims.
According to our Dallas County Medical Examiner, there are a total of 6 fatalities from yesterday's Wings over Dallas air show incident. Authorities will continue working today on the investigation & identification of the deceased. Please pray for their families and all involved.
— Clay Jenkins (@JudgeClayJ) November 13, 2022
The crash happened around 1:30 p.m. at Dallas Executive Airport in the 5300 block of Challenger Drive during the Wings Over Dallas WWII Airshow. Dallas Fire Rescue crews rushed to the crash scene.
Alert 3 | 5300 Challenger Dr | 781 | 490036 | 13:32 | A | https://t.co/EXgFoyA9cV
— Dallas Fire Rescue Incidents (@dfrincidents) November 12, 2022
According to the FAA, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collided in the air before crashing to the ground.
Leah Block, a spokesperson for Commemorative Air Force, which produced the Veterans Day weekend show and owned the crashed aircraft, told ABC News she believed there were five crew members on the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber and one aboard the P-63 Kingcobra fighter plane. Though, that number has not been officially confirmed.
The Houston-based aircraft were not giving rides to paying customers at the time, she said.
Hank Coates, CEO of Commemorative Air Force, said during a press conference Saturday afternoon that he isn’t able to comment on how many people were in the aircraft during the crash, pending further investigation and notification of kin.
Coates also said the pilots are very well-vetted and many of the pilots in CAF have between 20-30 years of flying experience.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson spoke out on the crash on Twitter, asking for prayers for those involved.
The videos are heartbreaking. Please, say a prayer for the souls who took to the sky to entertain and educate our families today.
— Mayor Eric Johnson (@Johnson4Dallas) November 12, 2022
Several videos posted on Twitter showed the fighter plane appearing to fly into the bomber, causing them to quickly crash to the ground and setting off a large ball of fire and smoke.
Many onlookers witnessed the crash and some spoke out on social media.
The B-17, an immense four-engine bomber, was a cornerstone of U.S. air power during World War II. The Kingcobra, a U.S. fighter plane, was used mostly by Soviet forces during the war. Most B-17s were scrapped at the end of World War II and only a handful remain today, largely featured at museums and air shows, according to Boeing.
According to The Dallas Morning News, debris could be seen on Highway 67 and part of the highway has been closed off to traffic.
The crash is under investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.
This is a breaking news story and we’ll bring more updates as they become available.