What we know so far about the victims in the Dallas air show plane collision - NBC News

All six people who died successful Saturday's midair collision of 2 vintage craft at the Wings Over Dallas Airshow person been identified.

Terry Barker, Craig Hutain, Kevin Michels, Dan Ragan, Leonard Root and Curt Rowe were each members of the Commemorative Air Force, a Texas nonprofit radical “dedicated to flying and restoring World War II aircraft” and the big of the aerial show, according to its website.

"We are heartbroken to denote that the pursuing members of the Commemorative Air Force went westbound connected Saturday, November 12, 2022, astatine the Wings Over Dallas WWII Airshow portion performing," the radical said successful a statement.

"Please articulation america successful mourning the nonaccomplishment of our bully friends and chap airmen.”

The clang occurred astir 1:20 p.m. Saturday, erstwhile the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collided astatine the Dallas Executive Airport, according to accusation provided by the Federal Aviation Administration.

According to Commemorative Air Force CEO and President Hank Coates, there's a precise strict process of grooming for volunteers, who are vetted precise cautiously and are mostly retired pilots.

"These are precise good trained folks that person been doing it for a while," helium said astatine a quality league connected Saturday.

The Commemorative Air Force did not specify which men were connected committee the Flying Fortress and which of the victims were connected the Kingcobra erstwhile the planes collided.

Curt Rowe

Curt Rowe.Commemorative Air Force / via Facebook

Maj. Curtis J. Rowe served for much than 30 years connected the Ohio Wing of the Civil Air Patrol and "volunteered arsenic a unit subordinate connected a vintage Boeing B–17 Flying Fortress for the Commemorative Air Force wherever helium shared his passionateness for flying," according to a connection from the service.

"Curt touched the lives of thousands of his chap Civil Air Patrol members, particularly erstwhile flying cadets during hundreds of predisposition flights implicit the people of his service," said Peter K. Bowden, the commandant of the Ohio Wing.

During his clip with the Civil Air Patrol, Rowe "served successful positions ranging from Safety Officer to Operations Officer astatine the squadron and helping levels, with his astir existent presumption being Ohio Wing Maintenance Officer."

The 64-year-old Hillard, Ohio, antheral loved flying and teaching others astir it, according to his family, NBC affiliate WCMH reported.“There’s not precise galore similar him around,” Tom Rowe, his cousin, told the outlet. “He loved his family. He had large pridefulness successful his state and successful serving his country.”

Terry Barker

Terry Barker.Commemorative Air Force / via Facebook

Terry Barker was an U.S. Army seasoned and a erstwhile metropolis councilman successful Keller, Texas, according to Mayor Armin Mizani.

"Terry Barker was beloved by many," helium wrote successful a Facebook post on with pictures of Barker. "He was a person and idiosyncratic whose guidance I often sought. Even aft retiring from serving connected the City Council and flying for American Airlines, his emotion for assemblage was unmistakable."

The Allied Pilots Association, the American Airlines pilots union, identified Barker arsenic 1 of the unit members mislaid connected the B-17 Flying Fortress.

Barker served connected the metropolis assembly from 1999 to 2003 and was an experienced aviator who precocious retired, according to NBC Dallas-Forth Worth.

“He was a aviator for American Airlines. He was a captain. He conscionable precocious retired successful 2020. But helium was with American Airlines for 36 years,” Mizani told the outlet.

Barker leaves down his wife, 2 sons and a caller grandchild, NBC Dallas-Forth Worth reported.

"Yesterday helium was flying to grant the top generation. Today, the Field of Honor successful beforehand of Keller Town Hall volition stay lasting an further week successful his honor," Mizani said.

Leonard Root

Leonard Root.Commemorative Air Force / via Facebook

An Oregon autochthonal who loved flying, Leonard Root, 66, got his pilot’s licence erstwhile helium was conscionable 16-years-old and went connected to get his aviation grade from Hesston College successful Kansas, his daughter, Rebekah Lowery, told NBC News.

"Over the years helium worked his mode up by becoming a formation teacher truthful helium could get formation hours," she said. "He would determination up to bigger and bigger planes arsenic helium built his hours up, getting flying certificates and licenses successful bid to alert larger aircraft.

At 30 years aged helium started moving with American Airlines astatine its Dallas hub, archetypal arsenic a formation engineer, past a co-pilot, until helium became captain.

Root was identified by the American Airlines pilots national arsenic 1 of the unit members mislaid connected the B-17 Flying Fortress.

In a Facebook post, Lowery said her father's status enactment from the hose was a twelvemonth agone Sunday.

“He lived for flying, for going fast,” she wrote. “He was the astir friendly, talkative, charming guy. He ne'er knew a stranger.”

Lowery says she and her sisters grew up with the B-17 level and cheered connected their dada during his shows.

“We are truthful proud. He loved that plane,” she wrote. “He is leaving down a immense legacy. We are not acceptable to accidental goodbye. Dad, we emotion you with each our hearts. We are shattered.”

Larisa Lichte, different 1 of Root’s daughters, told NBC News her 10-year-old girl had a beardown enslaved with her aviator grandfather.

“She wants to beryllium a pilot,” she said.

Root joined the Commemorative Air Force and flew the B-17 level for astir 30 years, according to Lowery.

Craig Hutain

Craig Hutain was identified arsenic the aviator of the Bell P-63 Kingcobra.

He started flying astatine 10 years old, according to his bio connected Tora Tora Tora Airshows website.

He became a formation teacher portion successful assemblage and graduated with a grade successful aeronautical engineering from California Polytechnic State University successful San Luis Obispo.

Most recently, Hutain served arsenic a skipper for United Airlines and was based retired of Houston, Texas, according to the bio.

United Airlines did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

Hutain started flying with the Commemorative Air Force successful 2009, and had implicit 34,500 hours of formation clip successful implicit 100 types of craft nether his belt.

He besides served arsenic the Executive Officer for Tora Tora Tora, an airshow that aims to amended connected "how the people of U.S. past was changed connected December 7th, 1941," astatine Pearl Harbor.

"Heartbroken is not a beardown capable word," the airshow said successful a statement connected Instagram. "Please articulation america successful mourning the nonaccomplishment of our bully friends and chap airmen."

He leaves down his wife, 2 children and 4 grandchildren, according to the bio.

This is simply a processing story. Please cheque backmost for updates.