Complacency may have led to crash

Complacency may have contributed to a mid-air collision between two vintage planes in a Battle of Britain Air Show, an investigation has found.

Two American Mustang fighter bombers collided during a display at Imperial War Museum Duxford, Cambridgeshire, last September.

The tail of one made contact with the propeller of the other as they were joining formation with a larger Boeing B-17 aircraft during the display.

The pilots were able to land without further incident.

An inquir y by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found the pilots had agreed that one would go to the right of the B-17 and the other left, but they both tried to join on the right.

The AAIB concluded: “There appears to have been omissions, possibly resulting from a degree of complacency, during the briefings and subse - quent walk-through.”