‘Horrible to witness’: US air show ends in disaster as two planes collide

Six people are feared dead after a “horrible” and “tragic” mid-air collision between two vintage warplanes at an air show in the US on Saturday.

WARNING: Distressing content

Six people are feared dead after a “horrible” and “tragic” mid-air collision between two vintage warplanes at an air show in the US on Saturday.

The incident happened at the Commemorative Air Force Wings Over Dallas air show in Dallas, Texas, just after 1.20pm local time on Saturday (6.20am Sunday AEDT).

Historic World World II planes were doing fly-bys at the Veterans Day weekend event when a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a smaller Bell P-63 Kingcobra collided and crashed, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

The FAA said it was unclear how many people were on either aircraft.

BREAKING: 2 planes, including a B-17 Flying Fortress, collide at Dallas airshow pic.twitter.com/hdieiJuqvX

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— DTX Daily (@dtxdaily) November 12, 2022

Multiple videos of the incident circulating on social media showed the smaller aircraft smashing into the B-17 from behind as spectators screamed in horror.

“A WWII bomber just crashed at Dallas Executive Airport,” Dallas lawyer Christopher Kratovil wrote on Twitter.

“It was part of the Commemorative Air Force’s Wings Over Dallas Show. Wing just came off as it made a pass over the airfield. Tragic and horrible to witness.”

Local media report six people are feared dead, while no bystanders were injured.

“I just stood there, I was in complete shock and disbelief,” said spectator Anthony Montoya, 27. “Everybody around was gasping. Everybody was bursting into tears. Everybody was in shock.”

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The two planes collided as onlookers watched in horror.

Debris has littered the nearby highway.

It’s unclear if anyone survived.

CCTV traffic cameras obtained by local media showed that debris from the collision were strewn across the nearest highway.

Traffic has been stopped while the road is cleared.

Local police referred media to the fire department who are handling the case.

The fire department rushed to the scene and put the fiery crash as an alert level three.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement they would be launching an investigation.

“As many of you have now seen, we have had a terrible tragedy in our city today during an airshow,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson tweeted.

“Many details remain unknown or unconfirmed at this time. The @NTSB has taken command of the crash scene with @DallasPD and @DallasFireRes_q continuing to provide support. The videos are heartbreaking. Please, say a prayer for the souls who took to the sky to entertain and educate our families today.”

The event was billed as “North Texas’ Largest WWII Airshow”.

— with NY Post