Houston-based WWII era planes collide in Dallas air show: 'Everybody around was gasping'

A mid-air collision during an air show in Dallas on Saturday claimed the lives of six people, according to reports from Houston-based media outlets. 

The accident involved a pair of World War II era military aircraft – a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra – near the Dallas Executive Airport, occurring on a clear day. 

Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported that the planes were based at the General Aviation Services in Conroe.

The number of fatalities was confirmed by the Dallas County Medical Examiner (DCDE), with the collision under investigation, an Associated Press (AP) report that was ran by Houston CBS affiliate KHOU reported. 

Investigators said that there were no injuries on the ground, the AP reported. 

“I was in complete shock and disbelief,” 27-year-old Anthony Montoya, who attended the Commemorative Air Force Wings Over Dallas show with a friend, said in the report. “Everybody around was gasping … Everybody was in shock.”

KHOU reported that among the victims is Houston-area resident and pilot Craig Hutain. 

Citing Dallas-Fort Worth ABC affiliate WFAA, the station reported that a friend of Hutain’s recalled the many times they took to the air together in a 25-year span. 

"One of the best pilots I've ever flown with,” Dale McLeod said, WFAA reported.

According to KTRK, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is conducting an investigation into the collision. 

"This is the beginning of a long process and we will not jump to any conclusions," NTSB board member Michael Graham said, per the station. 

The Dallas Executive Airport is about 10 miles southeast of Dallas’ central business district (CBD) near the suburb of Duncanville.