2022 Dallas air show mid-air collision

On November 12, 2022, two World War II–era restored aircraft, a B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra, collided mid-air and crashed during the Wings Over Dallas air show at the Dallas Executive Airport in Dallas, Texas, United States; all six occupants died in the crash. The air show, which coincided with Veterans Day commemorations, was organized by the Commemorative Air Force.

Just before the crash, the air boss directed the bomber formation to fly parallel to the spectator viewing line, while the fighters were instructed to enter a trail formation and fly in front of the bombers. According to witnesses, the P-63F executed a high-speed descending banked turn onto the runway approach, colliding with the B-17 and causing both planes to break apart and burst into flames.

The B-17 had a crew of five, while the P-63 had a single occupant. All six died as confirmed by the Dallas County Medical Examiner. Both aircraft were destroyed on impact. The National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) preliminary report, released on November 30, highlighted the absence of altitude deconfliction briefings and revealing that the P-63's GPS navigator failed to record any information during the flight, with the ATC audio released on January 12, 2023, confirming no altitude advice was provided.

The NTSB's final report on the accident in December 2024 concluded that the probable cause of the accident was the air boss's and air show event organizer's inadequate prebriefing, relying solely on the air boss's real-time deconfliction directives and the see-and-avoid strategy for collision avoidance, which allowed for the loss of separation between the two aircraft. A contributing cause was a lack of FAA guidance and oversight of air bosses at air shows.

Accident

The collision occurred at 1:22 p.m. local time at the Dallas Executive Airport during a Wings Over Dallas air show organized by the Commemorative Air Force, a non-profit organization whose goal is to preserve historic aircraft. The air show, hosted over a commemorative Veteran's Day weekend, had drawn more than 4,000 spectators. Both aircraft were typically piloted by highly trained volunteers, in many cases retired professional pilots. Texas Raiders was the lead aircraft of a five-bomber formation, and the P-63F was the third aircraft of a three-fighter formation.

ADS-B data and recorded radio transmissions reveal that the air boss instructed the bomber formation to follow the 1000 ft show line, which runs parallel to and is situated 1,000 feet away from the spectator viewing line. Concurrently, the fighters were directed to adopt a trail formation—where wingmen fly below and behind the lead aircraft—and advance along the 500 ft show line, positioning themselves in front of the bomber formation. The apparent intent, according to a pilot observing the action from the ground, was to put themselves in front of the bomber. According to witness accounts, the P-63F was performing a high-speed descending banked turn onto the runway approach. It collided with the B-17 on the rear port quarter from above, severing the B-17's fuselage from a point just aft of its wings. Both aircraft broke apart and hit the ground seconds afterward, exploding and erupting into flames.

A pilot on the ground, who observed the mid-air collision, speculated that the P-63F pilot might have mistaken one of the trailing bombers for the leader. This misidentification could have led the pilot to believe he had already cleared the bomber formation's flight path. Consequently, he tightened his trajectory and positioned the P-63F's belly towards the bomber line, inadvertently obscuring his view of the approaching B-17.