Dallas air show pilots had no altitude plan before collision that killed 6, expert says

Pilots at a Dallas air show did not have a plan to coordinate their altitude before a midair collision that killed six crew members, according to a pilot who reviewed an NTSB report for Fox 4.

The pilots of two airplanes were flying in formations and had been directed to return to the display area just before the fatal accident on Nov. 12, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

Six flight crew members were killed when a P-63 Kingcobra collided with a B-17 Flying Fortress at the Commemorative Air Force’s Wings Over Dallas air show.

The report, released Nov. 30, did not list a cause of the midair collision. It could take a year or more for a final investigation.

The P-63F was No. 3 in a three-plane formation of historic fighters, while the B-17G led a five-plane formation of historic bombers, according to the four-page report.

Chris Manno, a retired Air Force and American Airlines pilot, told Fox 4 his major takeaway from the report was that “there were no altitude deconfliction briefed before the flight or while the airplanes were in the air.”

“So they did not prepare for the eventuality of having two aircraft at the same altitude at the same airspace,” he said. “That’s a problem.”

According to the report, citing air show radio transmissions and aircraft surveillance data, the “air boss” directed the fighters to transition to a trail formation and fly in front of the bomber formation before proceeding near the 500-foot show line.

“However, they had an intersecting flight paths, and there was no provision made to say we will not be at the same altitude,” Manno told Fox 4.

The five members of the B-17 flight crew were Terry Barker and Leonard “Len” Root, both of Keller; Dan Ragan, of Dallas; Curtis “Curt” Rowe, of Hilliard, Ohio; and Kevin “K5” Michels, of Austin. The P-63 was flown by Craig Hutain, who was from the Houston area.