Two retired American Airline pilots were among the six killed in a deadly collision between two vintage military aircraft at the Dallas air show, it has emerged.
The victims identified on Monday by the Commemorative Air Force, which put on the show, were named as Terry Barker, Leonard “Len” Root, Craig Hutain, Kevin “K5” Michels, Dan Ragan, and Curt Rowe.
Mr Barker and Mr Root were the two former pilots who tragically lost their lives on Saturday after a World War II-era bomber and a fighter plane collided and crashed in a ball of flames - terrifying air show fanatics who had gathered on Veterans’ Day.
The air show, which had just opened, saw people posting horrifying videos on social media showing the fighter plane flying into the bomber.
A video showed the smaller plane shearing off the tail section of the flying fortress as eyewitnesses were heard shouting "oh no" as the planes plummeted.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the collision, including why both aircraft were flying at the same altitude and in the same air space, NTSB member Michael Graham said at a Sunday news conference.
The crash came three years after the crash of a bomber in Connecticut that killed seven, and amid ongoing concern about the safety of air shows involving older warplanes.
The company that owned the planes flying in the Wings Over Dallas show has had other crashes in its more than 60-year history.
Investigators will examine the wreckage from both aircraft, conduct interviews of crews present at the air show and obtain pilot training and aircraft maintenance records.
“We’ll look at everything that we can and we’ll let the evidence basically lead us to the appropriate conclusions. At this point, we will not speculate” on the cause, Graham said.
A preliminary report from the NTSB is expected in four to six weeks, while a final report will take up to 18 months to complete.
The B-17, a cornerstone of U.S. air power during World War II, is an immense four-engine bomber that was used in daylight raids against Germany.
The Kingcobra, a US fighter plane, was used mostly by Soviet forces during the war.
Most B-17s were scrapped at the end of World War II and only a handful remain today, largely featured at museums and air shows, according to Boeing.
