() — A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collided and went down during the Wings Over Dallas air show around 1:20 p.m. Saturday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
“At this time, it is unknown how many people were on both aircraft,” the FAA said in a statement.
Authorities responded to the incident at Dallas Executive Airport, Jason Evans of Dallas Fire-Rescue told .
There are currently more than 40 fire units on the scene, the agency’s active incidents page shows.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the collision. The NTSB will be in charge and is expected to provide additional updates.
The event that was scheduled for Sunday was cancelled, according to the organizer’s website.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said in a tweet after the accident: “As many of you have already seen, we have had a terrible tragedy in our city today during an air show. Many details are still unknown or unconfirmed at this time.”
“The videos are heartbreaking. Please pray for the souls who took to heaven to entertain and educate our families today,” Johnson said in another tweet.
Debris from the collision fell on southbound Highway 67, according to a report by affiliate WFAA. The southbound and northbound lanes of the highway were closed after the incident, the police said. Dallas Police Department.
A rare vintage plane was destroyed
The B-17 was part of the collection of the Commemorative Air Force, nicknamed the “Texas Raiders,” and was based in Conroe, Texas, near Houston. It was one of 45 complete surviving examples of the model, of which only nine were airworthy.
The P-63 is even rarer. Some 14 machines are known to survive, four of which were airworthy in the United States, including one owned by the commemorative air force.
News in development…
