FAA audio reveals moments between air boss, pilots before fatal Wings Over Dallas crash

Nicole Lopez
·2 min read
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Newly released Federal Aviation Administration audio from the Commemorative Air Force’s Wings Over Dallas air show reveals communications between the air show boss and pilots moments before and after a deadly crash in November.

The air boss, responsible for the flight deck and all of the World War II-era aircraft involved in the show, can be heard conducting air traffic control for the pilots in the 36-minute-long recording the FAA released Thursday.

The Nov. 12 air show led to the deaths of six crew members when a P-63 Kingcobra collided in midair with a B-17 Flying Fortress. The airmen were identified as Terry Barker and Leonard Root of Keller, Dan Ragan of Dallas, Curtis Rowe of Hilliard, Ohio, and Kevin Michels of Austin, making up the B-17 crew. Craig Hutain, of Houston, flew the P-63.

Minutes before the collision, the air boss is heard telling the fighters to, “Roll it back to the left,” and to “get in front of the bombers” and fly along the show line 500 feet away from the spectators. He then orders the bombers to fly along the 1,000-foot line.

He also appeared to confirm the pilots could see each others’ positions.

Approximately 22 minutes into the FAA audio, the air boss is heard repeatedly saying in haste, “Knock it off, roll the trucks,” which means he was ordering someone to deploy assistance to the scene of an emergency or accident.

The air boss follows with ordering some of the pilots to hold their positions, and diverting others to Lancaster Airport. The audio finishes by going off frequency.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary investigative report of the crash, released Nov. 30, did not determine a cause for the collision, but provided some new details.

The report confirms the air boss directed the bombers to fly down the 1,000-foot show line and the fighters on the 500-foot show line.

Experts said that according to the report, the pilots did not have a plan to coordinate their altitude prior to the air show.

According to the NTSB, it could take 12 to 24 months to complete a full investigation.

In this photo provided by Larry Petterborg, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collide in midair during an air show at Dallas Executive Airport in Dallas, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022.
In this photo provided by Larry Petterborg, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collide in midair during an air show at Dallas Executive Airport in Dallas, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022.