‘Wings Over Dallas’ Mid Air Collision Report
LINKS: (Correction: 37mm cannon)
Flight Track Overlay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHXgjj02anA
ADSB Data:
B-17: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a9ae4a&lat=32.672&lon=-96.878&zoom=14.1&showTrace=2022-11-12×tamp=1668280914
P-51: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a6e2de&lat=32.666&lon=-96.896&zoom=13.6&showTrace=2022-11-12&leg=4×tamp=1668280905
P-63: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a8f4c3&lat=32.681&lon=-96.879&zoom=14.1&showTrace=2022-11-12&trackLabels×tamp=1668280915
P-63 Walkaround: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruoDK2MlAlg
PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=5295000&fan_landing=true
Learning The Finer Points: https://www.learnthefinerpoints.c
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Theme: “Weightless” Aram Bedrosian
https://www.arambedrosian.com
The very low altitude of the multiple aircraft turning and the difference in speed without any proper vertical separation is always going to be risky airshow aviation. You can be lucky most of the time but eventually your luck runs out. The fact the smaller faster fighters were flying on the inside of the circuit is incredibly dangerous, especially considering the ‘situational awareness’ you bring up in your breakdown.
Given Juan’s discussion of NOT doing inside passes, which the jets seemed destined to do based on the flight plans, and then a fly-by at the same altitude, it seems to be a classic accident waiting to happen. Great explanations in the video. Visibility from the cockpit is always a concern, so you use mechanisms to avoid/minimize blind spots.
Exactly. Those more maneuverable planes should have eye contact at all times with their lead aircraft (bomber). Having the smaller aircraft on the inside loop guarantees loss of eye contact with lead plane flying the outside loop.
This a thousand times. It SEEMS to have been a massive failure of planniing at the root of the crash.
Dude, this was absolutely brutal. At extreme times like this we all want a little bit of clarity. Typically, that’s so hard to find. Thank you for sharing your analysis and providing some insight. I’m sure I speak for everyone in hoping for a safe way to continue to share these beautiful birds without the risk. Praying for those families.
Amen John.🙏😔Prayerful for all families for God’s great comfort.
As always, an insightful and respectful overview of a tragic incident. Thanks for doing these.
I know for a fact that the P63 pilot was very sensitive to the crowd line. He was at ground zero in Reno in 2011 and was spared by a few feet. People standing directly next to him vanished in an instant. One of the most respected and admired aviators most of us have known or flown with. A true gentleman and the best friend anyone could ever have. Blessings and prayers for all affected. RIP Craig
Nope don’t agree. P63 was an idiot
@bob hope For sure. He ran into them.
@David Farrow armchair analysis, yes, is just that. But, coupled with common sense and experience rises to a higher level.
@Tobias Karlsson I say second mistake was flying into the B-17 without knocking it off when he lost sight of it.
@wormhole331 I’m not so sure that he didn’t make a mistake. I agree if it’s true that the logistics of this parade thing were probably set up in a really risky way. But you should also know that the pilots first responsibility is to aviate navigate and communicate. No one flew that plane into the B-17 but the pilot flying the p-63. I know everything we have is just preliminary information but if the air boss told the P-63 pilot to go jump off a cliff, would he? Or would he use his best judgment not to get himself and others killed? He had to have known he couldn’t see the B-17. Barring any more info not yet released, “knock it off” appears it would have been his best decision.
Thank you for the respectful treatment of this terrible incident. Rest in peace to the men who brought us history and shared their love of aviation.
@Andy Man we are spirits in the material world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmp51np10Sw
@The Preacher
been there huh?
There’s no rest in the spirit world
Thorough analysis (absent NTSB findings). Thanks, Juan.
Having just retired from the military flying world down the road from this event and flown on a demo team in the past, this brings me great sadness. Rest in peace to the sky warriors and thanks Juan for your coverage. I’ve lost too many friends in aircraft mishaps and I recognize your pain.
In the field of Experimental Helicopter I also have seen loss due to pilot experience.
Outstanding presentation. I can tell this wasn’t an easy task undertaken by you, and it hit some emotions. You absolutely did it justice, and are to be applauded for the professional, and effective communication of the events which hurt all of our aviation hearts tremendously. Thank you sir. God bless those aviators, and their families. God bless those that knew them, for your pain is tremendous. I pray for you all.
Thanks Juan. I am still torn up over this crash and I didn’t have any relationship to any of the people we lost. Just such a sad one, only thing I have thought of as a somewhat silver lining was because they were at a low altitude it was all over with before they had much time to think about it. This is one of those crashes that will stick in my mind forever my condolences to everyone who lost someone in this rare kind of accident but I think the entire aviation community is grieving over it even if we didn’t know these people personally I know I am truly saddened by it.
My deepest condolences to all involved. What a tragic way to lose these great men and aircraft.
@Quincy Arbalest I tend to agree with that. I have admired the B-17 aircraft for 60 yrs since I first heard and read of them in high school. My dad being a WWII vet was very familiar with them and passed that along. I toured Nine O Nine, in Bangor, ME several years before it was lost and thought it a remarkable and almost priceless piece. I was deeply saddened when it and some of its passengers were lost, tragically a few years back.
Nine O Nine was lost primarily because of a complete lack of oversight of safety and safe operation procedures. The NTSB final report is just appalling to read. How could the Collings foundation, the owners, have not done better? The terrible loss of life, and loss of an irreplaceable artifact, due totally to the lack of oversight? We have to do better than that or the FAA will eventually put an end to the flying of these historic birds.
One thing that is clear here, the crowding together of multiple aircraft, with speed differences of 50 knots or more, at the same altitude, was evidently the major thing that ultimately led to this terrible accident. Who’s idea was this? Why did nobody question it? I very much want to see these aircraft keep flying but safety, both in aircraft condition as well as aircraft operation at these shows, has to be the absolute top priority right from the start, much more important than putting on a good show while making money, and stroking some egos in the process.
@Quincy Arbalest What’s the point of preservation if it never is seen by anyone?
@Quincy Arbalest And kill less pilots.
@Jim Slimm Pilots CHOOSE to fly those planes, the airplanes themselves are historical artifacts which I feel are being misused in vanity and prevented from being preserved for future generations (which should be the priority of the organization, not putting on a good show).