Six people have died following a crash at a World War II airshow in Dallas, authorities said on Sunday.
Two vintage planes collided mid-air and crashed during the Wings Over Dallas event on Saturday, organizers said. The event included flight demonstrations of World War II fighter aircraft at Dallas Executive Airport.
Spectator footage captures a cloud of smoke after a crash during a World War II air show at Dallas Executive Airport on November 12, 2022.
Christophe Kratovil/Twitter
“Authorities will continue to work today on the investigation. & identification of the deceased. Please pray for their families and everyone involved,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said. said sunday.
A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collided and crashed around 1:20 p.m. local time, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. It is unclear how many people were on board the bomber and fighter jet, he added.
The air show, timed to coincide with Veterans Day, is hosted by Commemorative Air Force, an educational association focused on U.S. military aviation.
In this screen capture from video, a plane flies over a freeway before crashing during a World War II air show at Dallas Executive Airport on November 12, 2022.
Ephraim Badillo
In this screen capture from video, a plume of smoke rises after a crash during a World War II air show at Dallas Executive Airport on November 12, 2022.
Ephraim Badillo
Commemorative Air Force spokeswoman Leah Block told ABC News she believes there were five crew members on the B-17 and one aboard the P-63, which is a single-seat aircraft. The Houston-based plane was not offering rides to paying customers at the time, she said.
There were no injuries to spectators or others on the ground, according to Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson.
In this screen capture from a video, people are shown at the scene of a crash during a World War II air show at Dallas Executive Airport on Nov. 12, 2022.
WFAA
The airport said there was an “incident” during the show and Dallas Fire and Rescue responding.
Passers-by captured a cloud of black smoke after the accident. Debris from the planes could also be seen littering a nearby highway.
The debris field includes airport land, Highway 67 and a nearby shopping mall, the mayor said.
Spectator footage captures a cloud of smoke after a crash during a World War II air show at Dallas Executive Airport on November 12, 2022.
Agnes Calca
In this screen capture from a video, debris is shown on a highway after a crash during a World War II air show at Dallas Executive Airport on Nov. 12, 2022.
Ephraim Badillo
Commemorative Air Force CEO and President Hank Coates said there will be guidance available for first responders and attendees who witnessed the crash.
“It’s very difficult for me to talk about it because I know all these people, they’re family and they’re good friends,” he told reporters.
It was the company’s seventh airshow in Dallas and had between 4,000 and 6,000 attendees and volunteers present at the time of the crash, organizers said.
“This is the first problem of its kind that we have faced,” Coates said.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the collision. The NSTB is expected to arrive at the scene around 9 p.m. Saturday and will issue a preliminary report, Coates said.
“The NTSB is launching a team to investigate Saturday’s midair collision between a Boeing B-17G and a Bell P-63F near Dallas, Texas. Member Michael Graham will serve as the spokesperson at the scene. The team should arrive tomorrow”, the NTSB said in a report.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott called the incident a ‘tragedy’ in the update on Twitter that state agencies were assisting local authorities in the response.
ABC News’ Amanda Maile and Nicholas Kerr contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check for updates.