6 Dead After 2 Planes Collide During Airshow in Dallas

Debris from two planes that crashed during an airshow at Dallas Executive Airport lie on the ground on Nov. 12, 2022. (LM Otero/AP Photo)

At least six people died after two World War II-era planes collided with each other during an airshow in Dallas, officials said Sunday.

Video footage showed the two planes hitting each other in mid-air before both crashed at the Wings Over Dallas event Saturday. A Bell P-63 KingCobra and a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress were involved in the collision, officials said.

“Authorities will continue working today on the investigation & identification of the deceased. Please pray for their families and all involved,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said Sunday.

The Dallas County Medical Examiner confirmed there “are a total of 6 fatalities from yesterday’s Wings over Dallas air show incident,” Jenkins also wrote Sunday.

Leah Block, a spokesperson for Commemorative Air Force, told ABC News on Saturday that she believed there were five crew members on the B-17 and one person on board the P-63.

Commemorative Air Force President Hank Coates said Saturday he couldn’t yet confirm the number of deaths.

“Obviously this is a very challenging time for the families. And when I say family, I also mean the CAF family and our customers that follow us all over the world and enjoy our shows,” he told local media outlets. “This was a World War II flight demonstration-type airshow where we highlight the aircraft and their capabilities and what actually happened in WWII. It’s very patriotic. The maneuvers that they were going through were not dynamic at all. It was what we call bombers on parade,” Coates added.

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbot took to Twitter to comment on the incident.

“Planes collide during air show at Dallas Executive Airport. The Texas Dept. of Public Safety, Texas Division of Emergency Management, and the Texas Dept. of Transportation are assisting local officials in responding to this tragedy,” the governor wrote on the platform.

Anthony Montoya saw the two planes collide. “I just stood there. I was in complete shock and disbelief,” said Montoya, 27, who attended the air show with a friend. “Everybody around was gasping. Everybody was bursting into tears. Everybody was in shock.”

Victoria Yeager, the widow of famed Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager and herself a pilot, was also at the show. She didn’t see the collision but did see the burning wreckage. “It was pulverized,” said Yeager, 64, who lives in Fort Worth.

“We were just hoping they had all gotten out, but we knew they didn’t,” she said of those on board.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.