Inadequate planning leads to mid-air collision of warbirds at Texas air show

Washington—The mid-air collision of two World War II-era warbirds at a Texas air show was caused by inadequate pre-briefing, lack of appropriate oversight and administrative risk controls, the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday.

On Nov. 12, 2022, a Boeing B-17G bomber and a Bell P-63F fighter collided inflight during a performance at the Commemorative Air Force’s Wings Over Dallas air show. Both airplanes crashed, killing all five aboard the B-17G and the sole occupant of the Bell P-63F. No one on the other six airplanes involved in the performance nor anyone on the ground was injured.

The accident occurred as the eight airplanes involved in the performance were completing a repositioning turn, which involved a 90-degree right turn followed by a 270-degree left turn. The P-63F was in a descending left-banked turn when it struck the left wing of the B-17G from behind. 

NTSB investigators conducted a visibility simulation study that modeled the flight paths, altitudes and roll angles of the accident airplanes. Analysis of the simulation determined that the accident pilots had limited ability to see and avoid each other’s airplane due to flight path geometry and out-the-window view obscuration by aircraft structures.

The NTSB concluded that a lack of a prebriefed aircraft separation plan and other administrative controls to address predictable risks contributed to the accident.

The air boss, equipped with binoculars and a two-way radio, directed the air show pilots’ inflight maneuvers and ground movements from atop a set of stairs on the airfield. Investigators found that although the air boss had conducted the FAA-required preshow briefing, no deconfliction plan to ensure vertical or lateral separation between airplanes was discussed, nor did current regulations require it.

In interviews of crewmembers of the other airplanes performing in the air show, some pilots said they were confused by the air boss’s long stream of instructions. The NTSB found that the air show industry lacks standardized terms to impart directives to the pilots. And investigators said that the air boss’s deconfliction strategy “was ineffective because the flight paths of the B-17G and the P-63F converged as each pilot maneuvered toward their respective show lines.”

The NTSB also found that the Federal Aviation Administration and the International Council of Air Shows “had not adequately considered the need to better mitigate the collision risks associated with performances involving multiple dissimilar aircraft.”

The investigation also turned up other safety issues, including a lack of a risk assessment plan, unclear communication directives, the lack of requirements for recurrent evaluations of air bosses, inadequate air show safety assessment and reporting issues within the Commemorative Air Force and insufficient regulatory oversight.

As a result of the investigation, the NTSB made recommendations to the FAA, the International Council of Air Shows and the Commemorative Air Force.

The synopsis, including the findings, probable cause and safety recommendations, is available on the accident investigation webpage. 

SOURCE National Transportation Safety Board