Dallas Airshow

The P-63 hit the B-17 amidships and cut it in half. Poor sods never stood a chance.

 

That's the third B17 lost in the USA in just over 11 years - One made an emergency landing in Illinois during 2011 and was burnt out and one was destroyed during an emergency landing in Connecticut in 2019.
At the time the Illinois one happened I was in the US and had a flight booked in a B17 for later during my trip and I thought that was the one I was supposed to be going on which had come down........though it turned out to be a different one.

I'd seen yesterdays casualty at the (rained off) Wings Over Houston event back in 1998.......

 

RIP, those poor people that lost their lives, Display pilots generally stick to pre-planned and practiced routing, in what normally would be crowded bits of sky, normally such an incident is the exception rather than the rule, something must have gone very wrong, to put those planes on a collision course.

 

Except it wasn't a B17, But a Four engined B29 Flying Fortress .
Thoughts with The families and friends of the crews that were lost.

 

hate to argue but it was a B-17 Flying Fortress. The B-29 was the Super Fortress, a different beast altogether.

 

There are a number of forums covering aviation topics but my usual go to is PPRuNe.

https://www.pprune.org/accidents-close-calls/649802-dallas-air-show-crash.html

I can only add my condolences to the families and friends of all those involved.

 

Sadly that thread is as full of wibble as any on here. A tragic event that seems beyond belief.

 

Yes I have mostly given up on pprune. It was useful in the early days. I got some good leads and saved money on flight training for my son!
As ever the Dallas incident will be many factors coming together to create the perfect storm. I really feel for all involved and it shows how quickly things happen in the air. RIP and blue skies.

 

RIP to those involved, a tragic loss of life.
I would like to comment on the number of aircraft flying at that time and the apparent lack of any defined 'formation'. If you get to see any of the longer clips you'll see what I mean at the start. I think they were referring to the show as a 'cavalcade', to me it looked horrendously dangerous - and that's from someone who would happily fly his glider in a thermal with a dozen or more other gliders in close proximity.
For once I actually agree with the CAA for banning this practice in the UK.

 

Airshow rules are rather different in the USA and it came as a bit of a shock to see what went on at the two shows I went to in June 2011 compared to what was allowed here.
My guess is that those rules may well be tightened now.....

 

You get massed formations at the Duxford shows. The Balbo at the end of the show forms up into its various elements well away from the airfield and then flies down the flight line a couple of times before the individual formations break off one by one for landing. It’s a well rehearsed spectacle that works. Having said that, a few years ago a Skyraider got its turn wrong and collided with a P-51. Fortunately both pilots survived but it just shows that even the best planned routines can go wrong.

 

For an insight into the probable cause, nobody better to watch than Blancolirio in the USA

'Wings Over Dallas' Mid Air Collision Report - YouTube

 

Agreed. My go to for considered expert analyis without the sensationalism and speculation seen elsewhere.

 

NTSB Releases Preliminary Report On Dallas Airshow Crash (msn.com)

Potentially Air Boss being blamed....