Six people were killed when two planes collided in mid-air at the Wings Over Dallas airshow on Saturday. Some of the victims were from North Texas.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins posted a message on Twitter that "according to our Dallas County Medical Examiner, there are a total of 6 fatalities from yesterday's Wings of Dallas air show incident." He asked people to "please pray for their families and all involved."
The Allied Pilots Association posted a message on Twitter identifying two of the crew members as former APA members. The Allied Pilots Association is the union representing pilots for Fort Worth-based American Airlines.
The APA identified the former members as Terry Barker and Len Root. It said they were lost in the collision and that the union will be offering counseling services to members.
Barker was a former member of the Keller City Council. Keller Mayor Armin Mizani posted a tribute to him on Twitter.
"Terry Barker was beloved by many. He was a friend and someone whose guidance I often sought. Even after retiring from serving on the City Council and flying for American Airlines, his love for community was unmistakable," he wrote. "Yesterday he was flying to honor the greatest generation. Today, the Field of Honor in front of Keller Town Hall will remain standing an additional week in his honor."
The Wings Over Dallas airshow was put on by the Commemorative Air Force. The group has its headquarters in Dallas and has held the show at Dallas Executive Airport for several years.
"We had two aircraft flying. One is a B-17, one is a P-63. The B-17 normally has a crew of four to five - that was what was on the aircraft. The P-63 is a single-piloted fighter-type aircraft," said Commemorative Air Force CEO and President Hank Coates.
Video from the scene shows the P-63 Kingcobra running into the B-17. The event happened during a feature of the show known as the Bomber Parade. Some smaller fighter planes were flying along with the bombers.
"The P-51s were a little bit ahead of the bombers, but the P-63 was lagging behind...that's what it looked like from my standpoint," said Grant English, who was at the air show. "When the P63 was turning left to join in beside the bombers, that's when he collided with the B-17."
None of the customers at the event were hurt. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash. Investigators are on scene today. The preliminary report could take several days to complete, while the final report on the crash will likely take more than a year.
For the members of the Commemorative Air Force, the collision is a devastating incident.
"The people that are flying at the air shows are volunteers. All the pilots are vetted very carefully. These guys are very well-versed. Many of them are airline pilots, retired airline pilots or retired military pilots. These guys do very thorough training," CAF President Hank Coates said. "We are a very close-knit family. Everybody knows everybody. The outpouring of support I'm getting right now is amazing."
He offered his thanks to the first responders at the scene, including Dallas Fire-Rescue and the Dallas Police Department.
"The families are being taken care of. They're receiving counseling. Not just those actively participating in the issue, but the CAF folks and any folks here that may have seen it and have issues with what they saw, and obviously our first responders," he said.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson described the event as "a terrible tragedy in our city". He asked for "a prayer for the souls who took to the sky to entertain and educate our families".
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott noted that several state agencies assisted with the response to the crash.
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