One of the victims of Saturday’s mid-air crash during the "Wings of Dallas" airshow at Dallas Executive Airport is Terry Barker - a veteran airline pilot and a former Keller City council Member.
“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.
Mizani shared his heartbreak on social media.
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“Barker was a husband, a dad, a recent grandfather, and he was a friend, and someone who provided a lot of guidance for me,” said 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.
“I did reach out to his wife and expressed my condolences and let her know that she’s got a community behind her. She’s obviously grieving tremendously and so is her family,” said Mizani.
Barker was an Army veteran, and a former city council member, who served from 1999 - 2003. He was also an experienced pilot.
“He was a pilot for American Airlines. He was a captain. He just recently retired in 2020. But he was with American Airlines for 36 years,” said Mizani.
A Veterans Day display with hundreds of American flags will stay up in front of Keller Town Hall for another week to pay tribute to Barker.
He leaves behind a wife, two sons, and a new grandchild.
Mizani said a banner will be placed at the Veterans Day display in Barker’s memory.
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