Six people, including a former city council member and retired commercial pilot from Keller, died after two historic World War II-era military planes crashed in mid-air during an air show on Saturday.
At about 1:20 p.m., a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra were taking part in a flying exhibition at the Wings Over Dallas air show when they collided and crashed at Dallas Executive Airport, about seven miles southwest of downtown.
From videos shared with NBC 5, it appears the P-63 was turning when it crashed into the B-17, slicing the bomber in half and destroying the single-engine fighter. Within seconds both planes tumbled to the ground and burst into flames.
I honestly can't believe that we witnessed that ... we were all just standing there like, 'What just happened?'
Morgan Curry, witness
The National Transportation and Safety Board member, Michael Graham, confirmed over the weekend that amongst those killed were five crew members on the Boeing B-17 and a pilot in the Bell-P63 Kingcobra. The identities of the six aviators killed were confirmed and released Monday as Terry Barker, Craig Hutain, Kevin "K5" Michels, Dan Ragan, Curt Rowe and Leonard "Len" Root, who retired last year after a 30-year career with Fort Worth-based American Airlines.
No one on the ground was injured.
Sunday afternoon Graham offered condolences to the families who lost loved ones and said its team will "methodically" and "systematically" review all the evidence and consider all potential factors to determine the probable cause of the crash.
Still, Graham cautioned that "this is the beginning of a long process" and warned it could take four to six weeks for a preliminary report and a full investigation lasts a year to 18 months before a final report is released.
"Basically, we'll look at everything that we can and we'll let the evidence basically lead us to the appropriate conclusions, but at this point, we will not speculate on what happened," said Graham.
He said it was too early to determine if a mechanical failure or pilot error caused the crash.
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According to federal investigators, the planes were owned and operated by American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum. The Dallas-based Commemorative Air Force has held the Wings Over Dallas World War II Air Show annually for several years over Veterans Day weekend.
SIX LIVES LOST AT DALLAS AIR SHOW
The six victims killed in the crash were identified as Terry Barker, Craig Hutain, Kevin "K5" Michels, Dan Ragan, Leonard "Len" Root and Curt Rowe.
In a press conference after the crash, officials said the planes were well-maintained and safe and that the pilots were volunteers of the organization and highly trained.
“There is a very strict process of training and hours. All of the pilots have been vetted very carefully. Many of them have been flying with us for 20, 30 years or longer. What I can tell you is this is not their first rodeo. Many of them are very well-versed," said Coates.
He added those involved are friends.
"I can tell you this is an extremely close-knit family. Everybody knows everybody," he said.
The NTSB is currently working to obtain those pilot training records and flight record data.
According to KTVZ News in Bend, Oregon, the pilot of the B-17 WWII-era plane was identified as Len Root, a Bend Senior High School graduate whose passion for flying led to a 30-year career with American Airlines.
WCMH-TV in Columbus, Ohio reported that 64-year-old Major Curtis J. Rowe, a 30-year member of the Ohio Wing Civil Air Patrol, was also killed while performing in the air show.
WITNESS REACTION
Those who saw the horrific crash remained in shock.
"It's like literally as you looked up you saw the big plane and then you saw one of the little planes split off from the three and then as soon as it split off it's like they just collided into each other and the little plane split the big plane in half. I honestly can't believe that we witnessed that, like just standing here underneath it," said Morgan Curry who saw the crash from a nearby parking lot. "We were all just standing there like, 'What just happened?'"
Curry said she has been going to the air show for years and never witnessed anything like it.
THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD INVESTIGATION
The NTSB's Michael Graham said they will analyze radar and video to pinpoint where exactly the mid-air collision occurred on Saturday. Graham added that most of the wreckage was scatted across airport property, but there was some debris that landed outside the airfield and was recovered by Dallas police officers and turned over to the NTSB.
"We are coordinating the wreckage to be removed to a secure location to lay out both aircraft and examine the airframe and engines as part of the NTSB," said Graham.
Jason Aguilera, the NTSB investigator in charge, will be joined by a deputy investigator, Mike Hodges.
“Several other NTSB investigators will be examining the following areas airworthiness, operations, air traffic control and aircraft performance," said Graham.
Along with securing audio recordings from the air traffic control tower, the NTSB said it surveyed the accident site with a drone and took on-the-ground pictures before the debris was moved to a secure location. They're also interviewing the formation crews and air show operators.
Graham said they are working with the Commemorative Air Force, the nonprofit that hosted the air show, to get pilot training records and aircraft maintenance records. He said they're gathering evidence to figure out why the planes were in the same airspace.
When asked what the rules and regulations for performances such as air shows are, Graham said it's something that they're looking into and to see if they were 'strictly followed' on Saturday.
The crash came three years after the crash of a bomber in Connecticut that killed seven, and amid ongoing concern about the safety of air shows involving older warplanes. The company that owned the planes flying in the Wings Over Dallas show has had other crashes in its more than 60-year history.
GATHERING FOOTAGE AND PHOTOS
Neither aircraft was equipped with a flight data recorder or a cockpit voice recorder, often referred to as the 'black box,' according to NTSB.
The NTSB's Michael Graham said neither was required on the planes.
He said video and pictures from witnesses who saw the collision would be 'critical' to the investigation.
"They'll actually be very critical since we don't have any flight data recorder data or cockpit voice recorders or anything like that. [It] will be very critical and to analyze the collision and also tie that in with the air traffic control recordings to determine why the two aircraft collided and to determine basically the 'how' and 'why' this accident happened, and then eventually, hopefully maybe make some safety recommendations to prevent it from happening in the future," said Graham.
People can submit photos or videos to witness@ntsb.gov.
He said in many general aviation accidents, there are no black boxes or video, so it makes it "very difficult" for investigators to determine the probable cause, but said the expertise investigators help provide information.
"But there are times that we cannot determine the probable cause of an accident," said Graham.
CLOSURES AND WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Initially, US Southbound 67 was closed and traffic was diverted. Additionally, Dallas Executive Airport will remain closed for the duration of the investigation. The off-ramp on US 67 at Redbird and the access road is also closed until further notice.
According to Dallas Fire-Rescue, debris was scattered from the south end of the airport, across the highway, into a nearby strip center, and was recovered by the Dallas Police Department.
The NTSB said they are analyzing where exactly the mid-air crash occurred and also working on securing audio from the air traffic control tower, along with videos and photos from the scene.
The FAA, Commemorative Air Force and the National Transportation Safety Board will continue investigating. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide additional updates.
