NTSB Releases Docket for Fatal Wings Over Dallas Airshow Midair

The trove of details includes more than 500 pages of witness interviews.

Monday, March 11, 2024 at 05:13 PM ET

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NTSB investigators at the scene of the midair collision between a Boeing B-17G and Bell P-63F at the Wings Over Dallas WWII airshow at the Dallas Executive Airport (KRBD) in November 2022. [Courtesy: National Transportation Safety Board]

Key Takeaways:

The article details insights from the NTSB's public docket regarding the fatal November 2022 midair collision between a B-17 and a P-63 at the Wings Over Dallas airshow, which killed all six occupants.
Key revelations include the P-63 flying at the same altitude as the B-17, impeding the pilot's visibility, and the air boss directing fighters to cross bomber paths without a prior altitude deconfliction briefing.
Despite airshow flying being "scripted" with usual separation protocols, these were not effectively maintained in this incident, as evidenced by pilot testimony and NTSB findings.
The NTSB's extensive investigation is ongoing, and while the docket provides factual information, a final report with conclusions, findings, and probable cause is still pending.

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“Knock it off! Knock it off! Roll the trucks! Roll the trucks!”

These words from the transcript of audio recordings of the air boss and airshow participant testimony gathered by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have shed new light on the fatal midair collision of a Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, known as Texas Raiders, and a Bell P-63F Kingcobra at the Wings Over Dallas airshow on November 12, 2022.