Pictured: The six airmen who died during
Veterans Day 'Wings over Dallas' show
when B-17 Collided midair with Bell P-63
Kingcobra, as spectators watched in horror
- experienced pilots were captains for
American Airlines and United
Daily Mail (UK),
by
Melissa Koenig
&
James Gordon
Original Article
Posted By: Imright,
11/14/2022 12:14:18 AM
The six pilots who were killed during a Veterans Day airshow outside of Dallas have been pictured.
Five of the pilots were on board a Boeing B17 Flying Fortress bomber when it collided with a P-63 Kingcobra in midair at a weekend airshow to celebrate Veterans Day, outside of Dallas on Saturday.
Terry Barker, Len Root, Curtis Rowe, Kevin Michels and Dan Ragan have been named as the crew members involved. Both Root and Barker were were pilots for American Airlines.
The P-63 was being flown by Craig Hutain who also died as his plane smashed into the bomber aircraft. Hutain worked as a Captain for United Airlines.
Reply 1 - Posted by:
Readaholic 11/14/2022 12:39:06 AM (No. 1332716)
Pfizer or Moderna?
16 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
F15 Gork 11/14/2022 6:04:28 AM (No. 1332764)
Graveyards are full of experienced pilots......sometimes it just ain’t your day.
8 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
lakerman1 11/14/2022 6:12:31 AM (No. 1332771)
In 2000, I took my youngest son, then 8 years old, to the air show in Erie, Pa., and we toured the B 17 brought in by the Confederate Air Force, for the show. (I took a good photo of my son sitting and aiming what I think was a 50 caliber machine gun.)
I have to dig out my photos, but this may have been the same aircraft. The babe painted on the nose looks familiar.
They were offering short rides for 300 dollars each, which was a bit too expensive for me. If the cost had been in the 100 dollar range, we would have gone on a flight. It would have been a great experience.
I'm rambling towards a point here.
The interior of the B-17 was cold and austere. It was spooky, walking around inside it, imagining what a combat mission was like, back in WWII.
Terrble loss of lives, but at least they were doing exactly what they loved to do, at the time of death.
20 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Aud 11/14/2022 6:23:27 AM (No. 1332778)
There are two outdoor events I would never attend: a rock concert and an air show.
10 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Pammie 11/14/2022 7:42:15 AM (No. 1332818)
The experienced pilots with zillions of hours of air time become extremely complacent and thus, are NOT aware of their surroundings! GEEZE!
2 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
zephyrgirl 11/14/2022 7:42:30 AM (No. 1332819)
Agree with #4. A parachutist fell to his death at the only air show I ever attended (many years ago). I've never been to another. You never forget something like that.
6 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Rama41 11/14/2022 8:12:49 AM (No. 1332831)
No, Daily Mail. The B17 did not pass under the P63 and enter its blind spot. The faster P63 was number 3 in a flight of fighters and its pilot failed to see and avoid the B17.
11 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
red1066 11/14/2022 9:03:23 AM (No. 1332863)
Experienced pilots for United and American Airlines. I guess there will be longer flight delays at the airports. I've been to only one air show, and I remember there was ALWAYS only one aircraft in the air at a time. There was a fly over of military aircraft, but it was performed by military personnel much like one sees at the start of a football game.
3 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
RayLRiv 11/14/2022 9:12:35 AM (No. 1332876)
That P-63 fighter aircraft was a low wing in a tight left-wing bank. That bank
probably blocked the pilot's view downward and to the right. The plane's
speed also didn't help - it extended the turn radius right into the Fort's path.
Does anybody know if the pilots were even communicating on UNICOM or
a common frequency?
2 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
cheeflo 11/14/2022 9:49:30 AM (No. 1332920)
That headline is misleading. The B-17 didn’t collide with Bell P-63
Kingcobra ... the P-63 collided with the B-17. The accident was entirely on the smaller plane’s pilot.
5 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
MickTurn 11/14/2022 11:28:03 AM (No. 1332984)
The small plane had plenty of time to avoid the collision, something happened, either the plane had a failure in guidance systems or the Pilot had a medical issue...
3 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
doctorfixit 11/14/2022 1:22:03 PM (No. 1333057)
Poor flight planning. The fighter should never be allowed to make a tighter turn than the bomber. Planes should follow each other on a flight path, maintaining visual contact, eliminating the possibility of crossing flight paths. The kind of stunt flying being done by the Bell 63 should be restricted to single or perhaps two well-choreographed planes at a time in the air.
2 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
Kumoan 11/14/2022 2:26:27 PM (No. 1333100)
'...The interior of the B-17 was cold and austere. It was spooky, walking around inside it, imagining what a combat mission was like, back in WWII.'
Pretty sure that was the same -17 I walked thru on a perfect winters day in Phoenix a few years ago. I agree with that comment 100% I gained an even greater respect for the men who fought and too often died in that tiny crew space, surrounded by things that can go boom with a lucky shot from the enemy, or an internal malfunction.
0 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
HicoKid 11/14/2022 5:11:56 PM (No. 1333222)
The faster P-63 overtook the B-17 and crashed into it. Period. About 90% of all aircraft crashes and fatalities are pilot error. Experienced or not, it only takes one mistake, and aviation is very unforgiving.
2 people like this.
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