Now it looks like the P-63 pilot was told by the air show's air boss to overtake the B-17.  This makes it an even worse tragedy, in my opinion.
Watch and listen to the video from this news report.

https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/texas/dallas-plane-crash-air-show/285-a74db4ac-76ad-43f8-bca0-6de9c9206837

I was a member of the CAF way back when it was called the Confederate Air Force.  

This is a tragic crash.  And the loss of irreplaceable aircraft.  I understand there were five flying B-17s prior to the accident.  Now there are only four left.

The annual CAF airshow used to be held in Midland Texas which was an easy day's drive for me.  Some of we flightsimming members from the old Flightsim.com hangar talk forum met at the airshow many years ago.

The blood chit on the back of my CAF flight suit reads, "This is a CAF aviator.  If found lost or unconscious please hide him from the Yankees, revive him with a mint julep and assist him in returning to southern territory.  CONFEDERATE AIR FORCE"

The blood chit has an American and Texas flag on it.

Noel

 

 

 

12 minutes ago, birdguy said:

I was a member of the CAF way back when it was called the Confederate Air Force.

That's what the name was when my dad and I joined. I still think of it that way and occasionally slip up and say it out loud... 🤦‍♂️

The names and photos of the missing pilots in the Commemorative Air Force message.

 

https://commemorativeairforce.org/news/names-of-the-aircrew-from-texas-raiders-and-the-kingcobra

Here are a couple of people who are far more knowledgeable about airshow ops than I. First video is by Dan Gryder, it will start some 22 minutes into the video so as to go directly to his take on this disaster.

https://youtu.be/QunMRwNzr_c?t=1326

This second video goes into a lot more detail about what likely happened.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C342dfNPCyg

An aerial display or Parade Circuit of various aircraft types going at different speeds but all at the same altitude is risky, I wouldn't call this pilot error this was doomed at the planning stage, this really sucks for those that put their lives into this

They do these circuits where I live but in WW1 era biplanes, those are much slower and have greater visibility so you never lose sight of others in the circuit. Their should never be a situation where you cannot see others in the parade circuit. 

 

 

There are those who hypothesize by showing a video, that the loss of altitude of the P63 and its subsequent impact on the B17 is due to the impact of the P63 with a drone.

https://eurasiantimes.com/mid-air-horror-did-us-b-17-bomber-p-63-kingcobra-collide/

On 11/13/2022 at 1:23 PM, n4gix said:

I still think of it that way and occasionally slip up and say it out loud... 🤦‍♂️

I still call it the Confederate Air Force.

Noel

NTSB has released a preliminary report on the accident.

The report states:

"According to the recorded audio for the airshow radio transmissions and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data,
  the air boss directed both formations to maneuver southwest of the runway before returning to the flying display area, which was the
  designated performance area. He directed the fighter formation to transition to a trail formation, fly in front of the bomber formation,
and proceed near the 500 ft show line. The bombers were directed to fly down the 1,000 ft show line. The 500ft show line and
1,000 ft show line were 500 ft and 1,000 ft respectively from the airshow viewing line behind which the audience viewed the airshow."

500 feet horizontal separation may be adequate so long as everyone stays within their designated flight area, but therein is the problem.  The P-39 pilot appeared to be attempting to catch up to the P-51 and ended up flying through the bomber's flight area.  Unfortunately, the B-17 was in the flight path of the P-39.  I have been to airshows where fighters and bombers flew together, but not together as a parade, but as a formation.  Otherwise, the faster aircraft were paraded along the show line separate from the slower aircraft.

Edited December 3, 20223 yr by stans

Everything in an airshow (Or any formation flying for that matter) is planned and discussed on the ground.  You do not call audibles during flight ops and that is what appears to have happened here.

Flight Track Overlay

https://youtu.be/KHXgjj02anA

The heartbreaking images of the last farewell of the missing pilots before starting their last flight.

 

https://youtu.be/zIi2b2Ztem0