Six flight crew members killed after a vintage World War II bomber and fighter were involved in a midair collision at a Dallas airshow have been named.
The Commemorative Air Force, which hosted the deadly show on Saturday, identified the victims as Terry Barker, Craig Hutain, Kevin “K5” Michels, Dan Ragan, Leonard “Len” Root and Curt Rowe on Monday.
The Allied Pilots Association, the union that represents American Airlines pilots, previously identified Barker and Root - two retired pilots and former union members - among the victims.
The union said that Barker and Root were part of the crew on the B-17 Flying Fortress that was involved in the crash with the Bell P-63 Kingcobra on Saturday.
“Our hearts go out to their families, friends, and colleagues past and present,” the union said in a statement.
The APA is also offering professional counselling services at their headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Federal Aviation Administration initially led the investigation into the air show crash, but it has since been handed over to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The NTSB team of technical experts will look into 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 team will conduct its probe by examining the wreckage from both aircraft, conducting interviews of crews present at the air show and obtaining 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,” Mr Graham said. He added that “at this point, we will not speculate” on the cause.
Barker, one of the pilots killed in the crash, was an Army veteran, husband, father and former councilman for the city of Keller, according to Keller Mayor Armin Mizani.
“Terry was a friend,” Mr Mizani told WFAA. “He was someone I sought council for when I got started ... Always helping people. Husband, dad, Army veteran and a retired pilot.”
Root, the other pilot killed, was described by friends who spoke to WFAA as “a man who always stopped to listen and cared for what you had to say. He was a real technical guy.”
Hutain, one of the crew members killed, was a pilot from Montgomery, Texas, who was described by a friend as “one of the best pilots I’ve ever flown with”.
The friend, Dale McLeod, told WFAA that Hutain “lit up any room he was in”.
Rowe, a major with the Ohio Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, was a mechanic on the B-17 involved in the crash.
“Curt touched the lives of thousands of his fellow Civil Air Patrol members, especially when flying cadets during hundreds of orientation flights over the course of his service,” the Wing headquarters wore in a statement confirming his death.
“Please take a moment to reflect on the service of Major Curt Rowe as we celebrate his life and contributions to his community, state, and nation.”
The accident between the historic planes occurred during the Commemorative Air Force Wings Over Dallas event at Dallas Executive Airport on Saturday afternoon.
“According to our Dallas County Medical Examiner, there are a total of 6 fatalities from yesterday’s Wings over Dallas air show incident,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins tweeted on Sunday.
The Commemorative Air Force said on Saturday that there were five crew members on the B-17 and one onboard the P-63. No paying customers were onboard the Houston-based plane at the time.
Hank Coates, president and CEO of the Commemorative Air Force, a group which preserves and maintains vintage military aircraft, said that the planes were “normally crewed.”
“I cannot release the number of people in the manifest or the names on the manifest until I’m released to do so by the NTSB,” he told reporters.
The B-17 was part of the group’s “Texas Raiders” collection and was based near Houston, Texas. It was one of only 45 remaining examples of the plane, of which only nine are airworthy.
The P-63 was one of 14 remaining examples, only four of which in the US are airworthy.
Mr Coates said that the group’s pilots were airline pilots, retired airline pilots or retired military pilots.
“The maneuvers that they (the aircraft) were going through were not dynamic at all,” he said.
“This is not about the aircraft. It’s just not. I can tell you the aircraft are great aircraft, they’re safe. They’re very well-maintained.
“The pilots are very well-trained. So it’s difficult for me to talk about it, because I know all these people, these are family, and they’re good friends.”
No one on the ground was injured in the incident.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson tweeted about his shock at the accident on Saturday.
“As many of you have now seen, we have had a terrible tragedy in our city today during an airshow. Many details remain unknown or unconfirmed at this time.”
Earlier he called videos of the crash “heartbreaking.”
“Say a prayer for the souls who took to the sky to entertain and educate our families today,” he tweeted.
The event was scheduled to run through Sunday but has been cancelled.
