At around 1:20pm this afternoon, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collided and crashed at the Wings Over Dallas Airshow at Dallas Executive Airport.
Dallas Fire Rescue and Dallas Police Department were first to arrive on the scene. One of the planes erupted in flames after crashing into the ground. An ARFF truck from the airport suppressed the flames.
The NTSB and FAA are working to determine how many people were on board each aircraft. No spectators were injured.
According to their website, the Wings Over Dallas Airshow is the largest WWII airshow in North Texas. Both aircraft were out of Houston, according to the Commemorative Air Force.
All lanes of Highway 67 have been closed due to this incident. The debris field includes the highway, Airport grounds, and a nearby strip mall, according to Dallas Fire Rescue.
As part of the event, DFR resources were already in attendance in case of (such) an emergency. In fact, just last week the department participated in a joint disaster exercise at Dallas Love Field Airport that mirrored some of the circumstances present at today’s event. In response to today’s crash, firefighters were able to quickly arrive at the crash site, at the South end of the airport, and extinguish the flames where most of the debris came to rest. Though debris stretched from the airport, across Highway 67 to a strip mall on the opposite side, there were no spectators, or anyone else on the ground, impacted by the crash.
Updates will be provided here once released by officials.
UPDATE – According to Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, the Dallas County Medical Examiner reports a total of 6 fatalities from the crash. Authorities are working to identify the victims.
UPDATE – In preparation for today’s planned airshow, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) had placed supplies for a pyrotechnics show in the ground at Executive Airport. After yesterday’s incident and the subsequent cancellation of today’s event, the pyrotechnic supplies must be disposed of safely. The only manner in which to do that once they are placed is to detonate them.
CAF will be conducting the detonation under the supervision of the Fire Marshal and the Explosive Ordinance Division (EOD). The detonation will be controlled and of a much reduced capacity compared to the planned show; there will be no pyrotechnic shells involved. Only the grain set cord will be detonated in a “one-shot” event rather than a series of detonations.
DFR fire suppression units will be on stand-by for the controlled detonation.
