2022 Dallas air show mid-air collision
Fatal accident during an air show in Texas, US / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
On November 12, 2022, two World War II–era aircraft, a B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra, collided mid-air and crashed during the Wings Over Dallas air show at Dallas Executive Airport in Dallas, Texas, United States.[1] The air show, which coincided with Veterans Day commemorations, was organized by the Commemorative Air Force.
![]() The destruction of the two aircraft immediately after colliding; the forward section of Texas Raiders is visible at center-left, while the tail can be seen just below it, behind the vehicles in the foreground. | |
Accident | |
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Date | November 12, 2022, 1:22 p.m. CST (UTC-6) |
Summary | Mid-air collision at Wings Over Dallas air show, under investigation |
Site | Dallas Executive Airport (RBD), Dallas, Texas 32°40′25″N 96°51′45″W |
Total fatalities | 6 |
Total survivors | 0 |
First aircraft | |
![]() N7227C, the B-17G involved in the accident, in October 2019 | |
Type | Boeing B-17G-95-DL/PB-1W Flying Fortress |
Name | Texas Raiders |
Operator | American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum |
Registration | N7227C 44-83872 (s/n) 77235 (BuNo) |
Flight origin | Dallas Executive Airport, Dallas, Texas |
Occupants | 5 |
Crew | 5 |
Fatalities | 5 |
Survivors | 0 |
Second aircraft | |
![]() N6763, the Bell P-63F involved in the accident, in October 2019 | |
Type | Bell P-63F-1-BE Kingcobra |
Operator | American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum |
Registration | N6763 43-11719 (s/n) |
Flight origin | Dallas Executive Airport, Dallas, Texas |
Occupants | 1 |
Crew | 1 |
Fatalities | 1 |
Survivors | 0 |
Just before the crash, the air boss directed the bomber formation to fly parallel to the spectator viewing line, while the fighters were instructed to enter a trail formation and fly in front of the bombers. According to witnesses, the P-63F executed a high-speed descending banked turn onto the runway approach, colliding with the B-17 and causing both planes to break apart and burst into flames.
The B-17 had a crew of five, while the P-63 had a single occupant. All six died as confirmed by the Dallas County Medical Examiner. Both aircraft were destroyed on impact. On November 30, the NTSB released a preliminary report, highlighting the absence of altitude deconfliction briefings and revealing that the P-63's GPS navigator failed to record any information during the flight, with the ATC audio released on January 12, 2023, confirming no altitude advice was provided.