What happened
On November 12, 2022, during the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Wings Over Dallas air show at Dallas Executive Airport, two vintage aircraft collided in mid-air. The incident involved a Boeing B-17G, registration N7227C, and a Bell P-63F, registration N6763. At the time of the collision, the Boeing B-17G was leading a group of five bombers flying in a trail formation, while the Bell P-63F was the trailing aircraft in a three-plane fighter formation.
As the aircraft were maneuvering for a subsequent pass in front of the spectators, the air boss provided radio instructions for the fighter group to pass on the left side of the bombers and then cross in front of them. During this repositioning, the Bell P-63F entered a descending turn with a left bank. This maneuver caused the flight path of the fighter to converge with the bomber, leading the Bell P-63F to strike the left wing area of the Boeing B-17G. The impact caused both aircraft to break apart in flight.
The collision resulted in five fatalities, including the pilot, copilot, flight engineer, and two scanners on the Boeing B-17G, as well as the pilot of the Bell P-63F. Both aircraft were destroyed, though no injuries were reported among the spectators on the ground. All participating aircraft were operating under CAF management and specific regulatory waivers for the event.
Findings
Analysis of flight path data and visual evidence indicated that while the lead fighter aircraft successfully passed the bomber group on the left, the flight path of the Bell P-63F intersected with the Boeing B-17G. The collision occurred because the fighter aircraft's flight path converged with the bomber during a descending, left-banked turn.