Wings Over Dallas 2022 mid air collision

[Twokidsnosleep]

There has been a horrific fatal accident at an airshow last week in Texas. A B17 and a P63 collided and all were lost.
BFRD and I were talking about it and I shared this video with some explanation of flying issues and blind spots.
I thought it was quite interesting so wanted to share for your thoughts.

[RangerNeil]

That was an interesting video. Not for me to say who was right or wrong. Bad enough 6 men lost their lives and 2 planes were destroyed.
The only question that sprung to my mind was the one raised at the end of the video. Why were two disparate type of aircraft operating at the same altitude? Its literally been decades since I was involved in aviation - and only a student at that, the epilepsy killed my hope of qualifying - but I do recall the instructors telling us different types should be seperated by a height difference - 100, 200, 300 feet sort of seperation and that if you lose sight of an aircraft at your altitude you break away - the guy in the video made the same point. So I guess those will be the questions being asked by those tasked to investigate .
For myself - I am truly sorry this accident happened and even sorrier 6 good guys died as a result.

[Twokidsnosleep]

I have no flight education so found the video very informative.
Indeed some good issues were pointed out.
I hate to say my first thought was a deliberate action. As Matthew pointed out, these guys were all buddies and very close. Hope the families find peace that they were doing what they loved.

[aur0ra145]

It's a very sad situation. I have a lot of aviation and formation flying experience; and, it's terrible to see a mishap like this. Those guys are all from near where I'm from. I've met several of them. Just a terrible situation.

The video eventually gets to what happened. Though, I don't think the video author has a ton of formation flying experience, or flying in close proximity to other aircraft. Maybe he did at some point; but, his discussion is very round about for a very simple conclusion.

[Stokesy44]

Tragic loss of all those involved. I watched a video similar to this and the conclusions were pretty much the same. The B17 was under the nose and wing of the fighter and the pilot overshot his position in the circuit.

The visibility constraints of all WW2 type fighters with their nose mounted engines and cockpits above the wings made for significant problems, even in what are considered the best of the type. That Cobra cockpit looks terrible.

The video I saw had the actual crash footage from various cameras. Horrific stuff.

[aur0ra145]

The worst video which is now been pulled was of the kids saying "Was that supposed to happen?" and with the pause from the adults, the kids started to freak out.

edit: I've watched a lot of YouTubers comment on it that have no idea of how to fly form.

[Twokidsnosleep]

The worst video which is now been pulled was of the kids saying "Was that supposed to happen?" and with the pause from the adults, the kids started to freak out.

edit: I've watched a lot of YouTubers comment on it that have no ****ing idea of how to fly form.

Is the visibility better in modern age jets?
Never thought about how blind you could be to something under your belly

[aur0ra145]

Is the visibility better in modern age jets?
Never thought about how blind you could be to something under your belly

It's much better visibility in modern jets. I've never sat in a P-63 (or P-39), but I have sat in a Bf-109 and Spitfire, those had okay forward visibility; but really bad below, as well as behind them. The 109 was really bad with aft visibility, at least the variant I sat in.

The advent of the bubble canopy was a real game changer. It incredibly increased visibility. You'll see a lot of late WW2 fighters trending towards a bubble canopy to aid in visibility.

[ForeverPlasticKits]

That horrible and so sad accident raises the question about vintage airplanes in flight condition, is it really necessary and useful to let them fly in formation? The cost in human life mixed with the big amount of money spent is also so horrifying!

Static and a few flights of this museum legends can be a good and safe way to preserve them and their owners.

[RangerNeil]

That horrible and so sad accident raises the question about vintage airplanes in flight condition, is it really necessary and useful to let them fly in formation? The cost in human life mixed with the big amount of money spent is also so horrifying!

Static and a few flights of this museum legends can be a good and safe way to preserve them and their owners.

Problem tends to be if you let something like these machines sit too long it costs a LOT more to get it ready for flight again. Its actually more cost effective to keep these machines flying unless they are permanently grounded. It would, perhaps be better to ensure seperation in altitude between types. Thats an organisational thing though.

[bfrd]

I have been to this show before (I almost went this year). These aircraft are meticulously maintained, and the craft's airworthiness should not be questioned. The organization of the event is also top-notch. The only thing that can be known is that this was a tragedy. While I can speculate on what I think happened, only a handful of people know for sure, and they are no longer with us. The pilots dedicated themselves to showing us a bit of history in action. I don't want to tarnish their memory by saying they shouldn't have been doing what they loved. These men knew the risks of flying and decided that what they were doing was important enough.