Saturday’s fatal crash of two vintage World War II planes that resulted in the deaths of six people sent shock waves of grief throughout the aviation community. As the air show season wrapped up the same weekend, how future shows will proceed in light of the tragedy is unknown.
Until the investigation — which can take up to two years — is complete, the community that draws fans of aviation, mechanics, history and military history will be waiting for possible safety or procedural changes. Some have called for increased oversight into the preparation of vintage warcraft air shows, as the FAA did following the crash of a vintage B-17 in Connecticut in 2019.
“I don’t see them being eliminated or going away,” said Kent Krause, a Dallas-based aviation attorney. “But I’m hopeful that they will at least come up with better safety protocols for these folks.”
In 2019, seven people were killed and six were injured when a B-17G Flying Fortress crashed with 13 people on board at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut, during a traveling vintage air show.
Following an investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded pilot error was the probable cause, and found inadequate maintenance was a contributing factor.
The investigation found the need for an “appropriate regulatory framework for living flight history experience (LHFE) flights, including maintenance and management policies and procedures.”
The FAA responded by enhancing safety inspections requirements for these types of flights in a notice issued in November 2021.
“We incorporated the requirements of the notice into the general order that our safety inspectors must follow,” an FAA spokesperson said in a written statement.
The history of air shows
Air shows today are displays of talented piloting, mechanics and military prowess. They can be educational and entertaining, and not all feature flying vintage aircraft from decades past.
The International Council of Air Shows represents the industry’s community members and helps regulate the industry’s standards.
“Air shows are more than a source of entertainment for the people who come to them,” John Cudahy, the council’s president said. “They’re a source of inspiration, really.”
Cudahy said air shows started with Wilbur Wright and the first days of flight. After the World Wars, air shows expanded in popularity and showcased a variety of crafts from military surplus to a new brand of aerobatics.
Cudahy said after the Gulf War, air shows became less of a hobby and “more of a professional industry.” Interest in air shows soared once again as did their budgets to produce larger spectacles.
Today, there are about 250 air shows in the United States each year, Cudahy said. Smaller shows gather a few thousand attendees, he said, while the big shows in cities such as New York and Chicago can draw 100,000.
Cudahy called Saturday’s crash a “horrific tragedy” and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.
“It’s a very unusual thing in our business,” he said. “It’s difficult to understand what happened and why.”
What’s next for air shows?
For now, the community is in grief. Hundreds of people have posted memories of the crew and aircraft involved in the crash from various shows across the years on online platforms.
Next, it’s a waiting game.
The Dallas Morning News asked the CAF if any plans were previously in place for the Wings Over Dallas show next year, which would be its eighth iteration.
Spokesperson Leah Block said in a written statement, “Right now, we are focused on working through the active investigation regarding the crash on Saturday.”
Another prominent area show, the AllianceTexas Aviation Expo, which was held in October, did not respond to a request for comment on next year’s show.
“This past weekend was the last week of our air show season in a number of cities,” Cudahy said, meaning Wings Over Dallas was one of the last shows in the country for months.
Air show season lasts from the end of March through November, Cudahy said, and it moves across the country with the climate. It begins in the South in late March, and northern parts of the country begin in early summer. As the weather cools off, shows pick up frequency again in the South.
He said any future action in response to Saturday cannot be made until the investigation is complete.
“We need to know what happened,” he said.
Aviation attorney Krause said he hopes stricter regulations will be passed in the future for air show training, especially when it comes to piloting vintage warbirds in choreographed formations.
“Even these experienced guys can use better training on how to fly in tight quarters and formation flying,” he said.
Some spectators at the show who saw the crash are still processing what happened.
Diane Holley said her family was parked in the strip mall across U.S. Highway 67 when the planes collided.
“When I close my eyes I still see it,” she said. The family had to leave the strip mall because debris was falling around and on their vehicle.
Holley said Thursday she can’t sleep. She said she does not want to go to an air show again even if it was a “freak accident.”
“They should stop these shows altogether,” she said. “Many people could have been killed.”
In 2011, 10 people were killed and more than 60 were injured when a 70-year old modified P-51D Mustang crashed into spectators at the National Championship Air Races and Air Show in Reno, Nev.
Federal investigators blamed the crash on worn parts and speed.
Christy Coleman was with Holley when Saturday’s crash happened. She said she has had frequent nightmares since then.
“It was definitely the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” she said.
Coleman has been a fan of all types of air shows her entire life. She has taken her 8-year old son to shows and aviation museums for years.
Since the crash, Coleman said her son has had a hard time processing what he saw, and he thinks about it every moment of the day. She said he asks questions like “why did it happen” and “did they feel it.”
“Me as a mother, that bothers me that I can’t give him the answers that he needs,” she said.
Coleman said while her heart goes out to the friends and families of those involved in the fatal crash, she hopes air shows like Wings Over Dallas can continue, for the sake of education and honoring past U.S. service members.
What are the risks?
While spectator deaths especially are rare in vintage aircraft crashes, preventative solutions are always evaluated following a high-profile crash, said Ladd Sanger, an attorney specializing in aviation law.
Cudahy said accidents and fatalities, especially spectator fatalities, are rare. He said the age of the aircraft is not a concern.
“The fact that they’re old does not necessarily make them less safe, if they’re maintained,” he said.
Sanger said he enjoys vintage aircraft shows as an enthusiast himself.
“There’s something about hearing the radial engine, like the B-17 or the Merlin engine that powers the B-51,” he said. “You can just feel in your body and it’s nice to be able to share those experiences and history with younger generations.”
At the same time, Sanger said, there are risks associated with World War II vintage aircraft shows. Sanger said he has worked with the victim’s families of the deadly Reno crash in 2011.
“I can just tell you that I’m consistently handling some type of World War II airplane accident, and I’ve been doing this for 24 years,” he said.
First, Sanger said there has been a trend toward adding mock battles, explosions, smoke and higher density of aircraft in the sky to air shows.
“That is creating significantly more risk because you have to deconflict all those airplanes,” he said, even as shows are carefully planned and choreographed.
Second, spectators and others residing near air shows are a liability. Sanger, who is based out of Dallas, said his first reaction to the Wings Over Dallas crash was a concern for the neighborhoods and businesses just across the highway from the airport and the spectators in attendance.
Finally, Sanger advised against offering rides for purchase on vintage aircraft, due to the age of the aircraft.
“There’s just too much risk,” he said. No customers were on the two planes that crashed Saturday.
Sanger said even with upkeep, older aircraft can have mechanical issues. For example, some parts are no longer available and are sometimes replaced in creative ways, either by reverse engineering or referencing “70-year old engineering drawings.”
In the future, Sanger said obtaining aviation insurance could become even harder following a catastrophe such as Saturday’s. Aviation insurance rates already increase dramatically for pilots over the age of 70, and many pilots of WWII aircraft are retirees.
Sanger himself said he would not want to see vintage aircraft grounded because of their historic value.
“It’s good to have them, they do occur regularly,” he said. “The problem is when you start exposing the public to unnecessary risks.”
