NTSB Releases Safety Recommendations in Warbird Midair Final Report

Airshow industry stakeholders need to develop standardized terms to help ensure clarity of directives to performers, agency says.

Meg Godlewski

Thursday, December 12, 2024 at 04:07 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Kimberly Johnson

National Transportation Safety Board logo and computer screen [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The 2022 Dallas airshow collision, which killed six people, was caused by inadequate pre-briefed aircraft separation plans, insufficient oversight, and the air boss's reliance on real-time, often unclear, deconfliction directives.
Contributing factors included the use of nonstandardized terminology, pilots' limited visibility from the cockpit, and a lack of established altitude deconfliction procedures during the preshow briefing.
The NTSB recommended that the FAA, airshow organizers (CAF), and industry bodies (ICAS) develop standardized communication, robust safety risk assessments, clearer operating procedures for multi-aircraft performances, and mandatory recurrent evaluations for air bosses.

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Airshow industry stakeholders need to develop standardized terms to help ensure clarity of directives to performers, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The recommendation was one of several the safety agency made Thursday as part of its final report into its investigation of a 2022 midair collision during a warbird airshow. In November 2022, all five aboard a Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, known as Texas Raiders, and the pilot of a Bell P-63F Kingcobra were killed when the fighter aircraft sliced into the bomber, severing the tail during the Commemorative Air Force’s Wings Over Dallas airshow.