Deadly 2022 Dallas airshow crash caused by ‘inadequate planning,’ NTSB says
The midair collision that killed six people at a Dallas airshow in 2022 was caused by inadequate planning and oversight, according to a summary of a final report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
Two World War II-era planes, a Boeing B-17G bomber and a Bell P-63F fighter jet, collided during a repositioning turn, according to a summary of the report released Monday, Dec. 9, by the NTSB.
During the maneuver at the Wings Over Dallas show, the P-63F jet struck the left wing of the Boeing bomber from behind, causing both aircraft to crash, NTSB officials said.
All five people onboard the B-17G were killed, as was the sole occupant of the Bell aircraft, according to the NTSB investigation.
Visibility simulations revealed the pilots involved in the Nov. 12, 2022, accident had limited sight of each other’s aircraft prior to the collision, according to the report.
Officials in charge of the air show did not create a preflight deconfliction plan, which ensures that air traffic and flight paths do not intersect, according to the report.
The five members of the B-17 flight crew were Terry Barker and Leonard “Len” Root, both of Keller; Dan Ragan, of Dallas; Curtis “Curt” Rowe, of Hilliard, Ohio; and Kevin “K5” Michels, of Austin. The P-63 was flown by Craig Hutain, who was from the Houston area.
The NTSB’s full report will be released on Thursday, Dec. 12, and available to the public via the accident investigation page for the incident, officials said.
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