- Two historic planes crashed during an air show.
- It is not clear if anyone on board survived.
- No spectators were injured.
Two World War II-era planes collided Saturday at an air show in Dallas, US authorities said, and footage on social media shows the planes crashing into each other and hitting the ground in a fiery explosion.
It was not immediately clear how many people were on the two aircraft, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a smaller Bell P-63 Kingcobra, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
It was also unclear if anyone survived the afternoon crash, which occurred during the Wings Over Dallas Air show at Dallas Executive Airport.
While the number of casualties was not immediately known, “no injuries to spectators or others on the ground were reported,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson tweeted.
Multiple videos posted on social media showed dramatic scenes of the smaller plane descending towards the lower-flying B-17 and crashing into it.
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After the collision, the planes appeared to break into several large pieces before crashing to the ground and exploding in a ball of fire, creating a huge plume of black smoke.
The crash scattered debris across the airport grounds, as well as a nearby highway and a shopping mall, Johnson said.
The FAA said its agents and the National Transportation Safety Board would investigate the incident.
Johnson said:
As many of you have already seen, we have had a terrible tragedy in our city today during an air show. Many details remain unknown or unconfirmed at this time.
The B-17, a four-engine bomber, played an important role in winning the air war against Germany in World War II. With a workhorse reputation, it became one of the most produced bombers in history.
The P-63 Kingcobra was a fighter aircraft developed during the same war by Bell Aircraft, but it was only used in combat by the Soviet Air Force.
One of the last major accidents involving a B-17 was on October 2, 2019, when seven people were killed in a crash at a Windsor Locks, Connecticut airport.
