WORLD / ASIA-PACIFIC
6 dead after a pair of vintage military aircraft collided at Texas air show
Published: Nov 14, 2022 10:27 PM
Six people were killed when a pair of World-War-II-era planes collided in mid-air at a show in the US state of Texas and crashed to the ground in a ball of fire, authorities said on Sunday. 

"According to our Dallas County Medical Examiner, there are a total of 6 fatalities from yesterday's Wings over Dallas air show incident," Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said on Twitter.

The incident at Dallas Executive Airport involved a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a smaller Bell P-63 Kingcobra, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Multiple videos posted on social media showed dramatic scenes of the smaller plane descending toward the lower-flying B-17 and crashing into it as both flew in loops around the airport. 

After the collision, the planes appeared to break apart into several large pieces before crashing to the ground and ­exploding in a ball of fire, creating a huge plume of black smoke.

The crash scattered debris across the airport grounds as well as on a strip mall and a nearby highway, which was closed for hours, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said.

Fire and rescue vehicles were already at the show in case of an emergency and responded immediately, authorities said.

An estimated 5,000 people were in attendance at the event on Saturday, a few miles south of downtown Dallas. Air show events planned for Sunday were canceled.

The FAA said its agents and the National Transportation Safety Board would investigate the incident.