Midair Plane Crash In Dallas Airshow Caught On Video; 6 Feared Dead
Two World War 2-era planes were reduced to particles as they collided midair at an air show in Dallas on Saturday.
The planes involved in the horrific crash caught on camera were a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra.
The entire incident has been caught on camera as the planes were part of the airshow. Officials have not confirmed casualties but according to reports at least six people were on board and they are all feared dead.
Horror took over the airshow as eyewitnesses could not believe what unfolded in front of their eyes. “I just stood there. I was in complete shock and disbelief,” said Montoya, 27, who attended the air show with a friend. “Everybody around was gasping. Everybody was bursting into tears. Everybody was in shock.”
Dallas mayor Eric Johnson said the videos of the crash are heartbreaking. The National Transportation Safety Board had taken control of the crash scene with local police and fire providing support, the mayor said.
Moment the two planes crashed: Here’s how it happened
All the videos from the airshow capture the shock and horror of the audience who shrieked when the Kingcobra slammed into the B-17.
The Kingcobra, coming from another side, crashed with the B-17 and set off a huge ball of fire and smoke.
The Kingcobra is a US fighter plane and was used mostly by Soviet forces during the war. The B-17 is a four-engine bomber used in raids against Germany during World War 2. According to experts, it is rare to have either of the aircraft in flying condition.
Most B-17s were scrapped after the war and can only be spotted at museums, air shows.
As recounted by the eyewitnesses, there were several aircraft flying at the same time. The narrator was describing the significance of the planes and patriotic music was playing in the background, a lawyer who went to the event with his 12-year-old daughter, told the New York Times.
The B-17 was seen flying really low, the eyewitnesses said as they did not grasp by then what was happening. Then a wing of the B-17 came off and the fuselage of the plane fell to the ground, followed by a huge fireball.