The NTSB has released a preliminary report on the fatal crash at the Wings Over Dallas show in November. On Nov. 12, a Boeing B-17G and a Bell P-63F collided in midair at the Dallas Executive Airport (RBD).
The two aircraft were operated under the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 at the airshow. The P-63 was number three in a three-ship formation of the historic aircraft and the B-17 was the lead in a five-ship formation of bomber airplanes.
The B-17 had a pilot, co-pilot and three crew members onboard and the P-63 had one pilot. All six onboard both aircraft were killed.
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Here is what we have learned about the 6 airmen lost in the Wings Over Dallas crash
The NTSB said there was no altitude deconfliction before the flight or while the aircraft were in the air. According to the report, wind speed/gusts were at 14 knots/18 knots, 350°. Visibility during the airshow was 10 miles.
Based on the NTSB report, recorded audio from the airshow radio transmissions and ADS-B data revealed that the air boss directed both formations to maneuver southwest of the runway before returning to the performance area.
He had directed the fighter formation to switch to a trail formation and fly ahead of the bomber formation, near the 500 ft show line, while the bombers were told to fly down the 1000 ft show line. The NTSB said that the two show lines were 500 ft and 1000 ft from the airshow viewing line, behind where the audience watched the show from.
During the airshow, the fighter formation approached the flying display area and as the P-63 was in a left bank, it collided with the left side of the B-17, just aft the wing section, the NTSB said.
Both of the aircraft were broken up midflight, then fell to a grassy terrain south of the approach end of runway 31 at the airport. The NTSB said the B-17 ignited in the wing center section during the descent and exploded upon ground impact.
Field debris was aligned mostly on a magnetic heading of 320°. Recovery from the site found all major flight control components for the plane. According to the NTSB, both planes were equipped with ADS-B. The Avidyne IFD540 from the B-17 and a Garmin GPSMAP 496 unit belonging to the P-63 were found. Both were sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory. Only the IFD540 contained relevant position information. The NTSB said the GPSMAP 496 from the P-63 did not record any information from the flight.
Wreckage from both planes has been retained for examination. The NTSB is still investigating the crash
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