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Officials say 6 men were experienced aviators
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Officials on Monday identified the six men killed in a collision between two World War II-era planes at a Dallas air show, a crash expected to renew discussion over whether additional safety rules are needed for such events.
The six men died Saturday after two World War II-era planes collided mid-air and crashed to the ground while flying over the Dallas air show. All six were experienced aviators with years of experience in flight training, according to the Commemorative Air Force, which put on the show.
The Commemorative Air Force identified the six men as: Terry Barker, Craig Hutain, Kevin “K5” Michels, Dan Ragan, Leonard “Len” Root and Curt Rowe.
Officials did not release which of the victims were piloting the aircrafts.
While all of the men were volunteers for the air show, each person underwent a strict vetting process, including logging hours and training flights, Hank Coates, the CEO of Commemorative Air Force said at a weekend news conference.
“This is not their first rodeo,” Coates said. “These guys are very well-versed. Many of them are airline pilots, retired airline pilots, retired military pilots like myself.
Hutain, from Montgomery, Texas, had been a commercial airline pilot since 1985. He started flying at the age of 10 and had logged more than 34,500 flight hours, according to his LinkedIn page.
Barker was a retired pilot who lived in Keller, Texas, according to Armin Mizani, the mayor of Keller. Barker was an Army veteran who flew helicopters during his military service.
He later worked for American Airlines for 36 years before retiring in 2020, Mizani said. “It’s definitely a big loss in our community,” Mizani admitted, adding. “We’re grieving.”
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Root was also from Keller and was a pilot and manager for the Gulf Coast Wing of the Commemorative Air Force, according to his LinkedIn page. Root worked as a contract commercial pilot for various companies over the past year.
Rowe, of Hilliard, Ohio, was a member of the Ohio Wing Civil Air Patrol and a crew chief on the B-17, his brother-in-law Andy Keller told The Associated Press. Rowe participated in air shows throughout the year because he fell in love with WWII aircraft, according to Keller.
Michels was from Austin, Texas. FOX 4 News reported that Michels served multiple roles on the flight crew, including as a historian and media representative, and also supervised tours for veterans and the public.
Footage from the scene on Saturday showed the P-63 turning into the path of the B-17. Both planes were seen breaking apart and the P-63 then flew straight into the ground, immediately exploding into a plume of flames and black smoke.
The B-17 typically has a crew of four to five people and a P-63 usually has a single pilot.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the collision. A key question investigators are looking into is why both aircrafts flying in the same air space and at the same altitude, according to NTSB member Michael Graham.
Investigations will analyze radar and video footage, in addition to debris from the crash and other recordings and records, Graham said.
Investigators will also conduct interviews of crews present at the air show.
“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,” Graham said.
A preliminary report from the NTSB is expected in four to six weeks, while a final report will take up to 18 months to complete.
Contributing: John Bacon, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
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