2 vintage aircraft collide at Dallas aviation show

DALLAS — Two historic military planes collided and crashed to the ground Saturday during a Dallas air show, federal officials said, sending plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky.

It was not immediately clear how many people were on board the aircraft or whether anyone on the ground was hurt.

Anthony Montoya witnessed the planes collide.

“I just stood there. I was in complete shock and disbelief,” said Montoya who attended the air show. “Everybody around was gasping. Everybody was bursting into tears. Everybody was in shock.”

Emergency crews raced to the crash scene at the Dallas Executive Airport, about 10 miles south of the city’s downtown.

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collided and crashed around 1:20 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. The collision occurred during the Commemorative Air Force Wings Over Dallas show.

The B-17, an immense four-engine bomber, was a cornerstone of U.S. air power during World War II. The Kingcobra, a U.S. fighter plane, was used mostly by Soviet forces during the war.

Several videos posted on Twitter showed the fighter plane appearing to collide with the bomber, causing them to quickly crash to the ground, setting off a large ball of fire and smoke.

Wings Over Dallas bills itself as “America’s Premier World War II Airshow,” according to a website advertising the event. The show was scheduled for Nov. 11-13, Veterans Day weekend, and guests were to see more than 40 World War II-era planes.

Air show safety — particularly with older military aircraft — has been a concern for years. In 2011, 11 people were killed in Reno when a P-51 Mustang crashed into spectators.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have opened investigations.