On the Record: Beech A36

Wednesday, September 14, 2016 at 09:57 PM ET

Verified

The National Transportation Safety Board is sifting through wreckage of two World War II-era aircraft that collided midair during the Wings Over Dallas airshow on Saturday.

Key Takeaways:

The accident resulted from the pilot's loss of airplane control due to spatial disorientation, leading to an aerodynamic stall/spin during an instrument approach in actual instrument meteorological conditions.
The pilot was flying a recently acquired, more complex aircraft with upgraded avionics, and his instrument currency and recent flight experience could not be verified.
Air traffic control actions likely aggravated the pilot's spatial disorientation, as the controller exhibited confusion, did not immediately recognize the emergency, and improperly applied "no-gyro" vectors.
Deficient Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic control training on recognizing and effectively responding to emergencies, particularly spatial disorientation scenarios, was a significant contributing factor to the accident.