2 Planes Collide in Mid-Air at Dallas Air Show

Officials were responding to reports of a midair collision that occurred during the Commemorative Air Force Wings Over Dallas show Saturday afternoon.

Jason Evans, a Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman, said two planes collided about 1:30 p.m. at Dallas Executive Airport in the 5300 block of Challenger Drive, near U.S. Highway 67 in Red Bird. According to WFAA-TV (Channel 8), the crash involved a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.

Evans said about 2 p.m. that he did not know the status of the pilots, or whether any injuries were reported among people on the ground.

In a video shared on social media, the B-17 was seen hitting a smaller plane as it made a turn. The front of the B-17 broke off, and the plane’s wings erupted into flames as they hit the ground. An onlooker said “Oh my god!” in Spanish, and a large cloud of black smoke could be seen from the field where dozens of people were standing to watch the show overhead.

The TV station said debris from the collision could also be seen on Highway 67, and TxDOT cameras showed that a section of the highway had been closed to traffic.

Wings Over Dallas is an aircraft show hosted by the Commemorative Air Force, an organization dedicated to preserving World War II aircraft that’s based at the Red Bird airport.

The CAF was founded as a nonprofit group in 1961, and the weekend airshow was part of the CAF’s Air Power History Tour, advertised as a national air tour of WWII aircraft. The tour advertises that its shows include either FIFI, a Boeing B-29 Superfortress, or Diamond Lil, a B-24 Liberator, along with other aircraft including the B-17, the B-25 Mitchell and P-51 Mustang.

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