Officials: Six Believed to be on Board Planes in Dallas Mid-Air Crash
A mid-air collision sent sent to planes crashing to the ground during an air show at a South Dallas airport Saturday.
Officials told WFAA that the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra crashed about 1:20 p.m. during the Commemorative Air Force Wings Over Dallas show at Dallas Executive Airport.
Leah Block, spokesperson for the Commemorative Air Force, told ABC News that they believe five crew members were on the B-17 and one aboard the P-63.
In videos posted on Twitter, it appeared the B-17 broke in half following the collision. Moments later, a large fire ball was scene as the debris hit the ground.
No injuries were reported on the ground, said Dallas Fire Rescue Jason Evans.
"As part of the event, DFR resources were already in attendance in case of (such) an emergency," Evans said.
Last week, the department participated in a disaster exercise at Dallas Love Field Airport "that mirrored some of the circumstances present at today’s event," Evan said in a statement. "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."
"As many of you have now seen, we have had a terrible tragedy in our city today during an airshow," Mayor Eric Johnson said via Twitter.
"Some people just thought it was a re-enactment," eyewitness Marbella Garcia told WFAA . "Whenever that happened, everyone was just kind of in shock like, is this really happening or is this just a re-enactment?"
"This afternoon, two aircraft were involved in a mid-air collision at Dallas Executive Airport. The aircraft were a B-17 and P-63 Kingcobra, both out of Houston," according to the event website. The Commemorative Air Force is working with local authorities and the FAA, and the NTSB will conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident."
On the event website, tickets to ride in the B-17 plane were sold out for the three-day event starting Veterans Day but officials do no believe any paid riders were on the planes when they collided.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
