A national transportation official investigating the cause of a mid-air crash of two historic military planes at an air show that left six people dead said on Sunday that one of the main questions investigators were looking to answer is why the aircraft was sharing the same space just before impact.
A World War II bomber and fighter jet collided and crashed to the ground in a ball of fire on Saturday, leaving crumpled wreckage in a grassy area inside the perimeter of Dallas Executive Airport, about 16 kilometres from the city centre.
Several videos posted on social media showed the fighter plane flying into the bomber.
“One of the things we would probably most likely be trying to determine is why those aircraft were co-altitude in the same air space at the same time,” Michael Graham, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said at a news conference Sunday.
The crash came three years after the impact 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.
The crash claimed six lives, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins tweeted Sunday, citing the county medical examiner.
Authorities are continuing to work to identify the victims, he said.
Dallas Fire-Rescue said there were no reports of injuries on the ground.
The Wings Over Dallas air show was scheduled to run from Friday to Sunday at Dallas Executive Airport.
It was cancelled after Saturday’s collision.
The event described itself as North Texas’ largest World War II air show. Thousands were watching from the airfield and nearby businesses Saturday, including World War II and American military history buffs who were drawn to the show because only a small amount of aircraft from the war remain airborne today.
The flight demonstration portion of the show began at about 11 a.m. local time Saturday, according to a schedule posted on the air show’s website. One listed event was described as a parade of several types of bombers, including the B-17.
The next item listed on the schedule was a fighter escort involving a P-63. It’s unclear from the schedule whether both events were to occur simultaneously.
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was a workhorse bomber that saw combat in both theatres of the Second World War.
P-63s were developed during World War II, but never saw combat, according to the National Museum of the United States Air Force