Officials have released the names of the six people killed in a deadly collision between a World War II-era bomber and a fighter plane during the Wings Over Dallas air show Saturday at Dallas Executive Airport.
A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collided and crashed to the ground at about 1:20 p.m. on Saturday. Several videos posted on social media show the fighter plane flying into the bomber, slicing it in two and then seconds later bursting into flames after hitting the ground.
As authorities continue to investigate the crash, many people have turned to social media to share their grief, condolences, and kind words about the victims.
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The Commemorative Air Force identified the victims as Terry Barker, Craig Hutain, Kevin “K5” Michels, Dan Ragan, Leonard “Len” Root, and Curt Rowe.
Here's what we know about each of the victims:
Terry Barker
Terry Barker was a veteran airline pilot and a former member of the Keller City Council.
“I’m just in shock. I’m in utter disbelief. He’s someone who we’re going to miss tremendously. As a community, we’re all grieving together,” said City of Keller Mayor Armin Mizani.
It’s unclear which of the two vintage warplanes he was in when the collision happened - blanketing the sky above southwest Dallas in gray smoke.
Officials will keep the Field of Honor in front of Keller Town Hall for another week in Barker's honor.
Leonard "Len" Root
The pilot of the B-17 WWII-era plane was identified as Len Root, a graduate of Bend Senior High School in Oregon whose passion for flying led to a 30-year career with Fort Worth-based American Airlines.
Curt Rowe
Major Curtis J. Rowe, 64. is a 30-year member of the Ohio Wing Civil Air Patrol.
Rowe served in the patrol for more than 30 years. He then used his passion for flying to volunteer as a B-17 crewmember of the Dallas-based Commemorative Air Force.
The Ohio Wing of the Civil Air Patrol posted a statement on Facebook.
Craig Hutain, Kevin "K5" Michels and Dan Ragan
Information about Hutain, Ragan and Michels was not immediately available, but we will update as we learn more.
The National Transportation and Safety Board member, Michael Graham, offered condolences to the families who lost loved ones and said its team will "methodically" and "systematically" review all the evidence and consider all potential factors to determine probable cause.
“We’ll look at everything that we can and we’ll let the evidence basically lead us to the appropriate conclusions. At this point, we will not speculate” on the cause, Graham said.
WINGS OVER DALLAS CRASH
The NTSB is currently working to obtain pilot training records and flight record data.
The FAA, Commemorative Air Force and the National Transportation Safety Board will continue investigating. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide additional updates. They ask that anyone with video of the crash to share it with them at witness@ntsb.gov.
This story is developing, check back and refresh this page for updates.
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