The DEADLY Truth About The Dallas Air Show Crash!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 เม.ย. 2024
- The Dallas Air Show crash never should have happened. The investigation revealed several shocking details over the course of ~1,700 pages of interviews and evidence. It was very difficult to cover every single detail in this short video. That's why I've included some additional information below.
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Details
If you want to become an Air Boss today, there’s technically no requirement that you have experience as an air traffic controller, you don’t need to be a pilot or have formation flying experience. It’s essentially an informal apprenticeship program where you spend a lot of time observing other air bosses. Eventually you get a few letters of recommendation, you pass a written exam, and you attend a course through ICAS and then an Air Boss Evaluator will observe you in action and if everything’s good then ICAS will make a recommendation to the FAA and the FAA will issue you a letter of authorization.
One of the most shocking things about this tragedy was that the warning signs were already there. Two weeks prior to this crash there was an air show in Houston. The air boss’s father was the Air Boss for that show but his son was there and helping out. It was reported that during the Houston show on Saturday they had an incident of a fighter flying head on at a C-47 and passing below them when they were only 200 feet above the ground. Even though the pilot said it wasn’t normal, he never talked to the Air Boss about it. Then, on Sunday during the Houston show, a P-51 cut through the middle of the bomber formation at the same altitude as the bombers. This wasn’t planned or briefed and it allegedly happened because of something the Air Boss directed the P51 to do on the radio. Unfortunately, because this happened on Sunday, there was no debrief after flying, so no one ever talked about this incident.
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There was a lot to talk about in this video and one thing I didn't include was that the warning signs were there! Check the video description for more details. Also be sure to watch the 10 Deadliest Air Show Disasters In History 👉 th-cam.com/video/4D-DOsz7xfw/w-d-xo.html
this guy is one of those idiots who took a free public speaking class and was told "talk with your hands" and he took it as instruction to keep waving around as if he had a seizure.
I'm shocked at the arrogance and complacency of everyone involved. How could they accept a half-ass plan with multiple planes in the sky and then "practice" it live without a real briefing beforehand when there's conflicting ride flights?! Seems like they all were just expected to be able to handle things because they were experienced. I've listened to military pilots talk about their air show routines and even solo, every maneuver, let alone entire the entire flight, comes with its own safety checks and briefing. Wow. If this is how civilian air shows operate, we're lucky it hasn't happened a lot more often before!
@@tektkite7255 wheres your videos?
@@tektkite7255 Are we judging the messenger? or the message?
❤❤@@tektkite7255
I am an engineer, and one of the phrases i hate the most is "we always do it that way", or some variation of that. It's like nails on a chalk board.
Ive been in construction all of my adult life, and that phrase drives me up the damn wall.
Yep, I hate that phrase as well -- particularly when it's combined with suck up and shut up.
Yeah, standard practices are the worst!
How do you know someone is an engineer? don’t worry they’ll tell you 😂
@@kriskris5330Troll
I was a cameraman that videoed the pilot briefing for an airshow back in the '90's. The AirBoss literally had the pilots walking around the chairs and tables in the room, cards in hand, to practice the show. It was choreographed and practiced including "what if's" and "exit points" throughout the show. Restrictions and limits were set on MANY factors including elevation, position, timing, holding areas, one word acknowledgements for pilots for brevity and more. Everyone in the room knew EXACTLY what was going to happen, where, and when.
Yeah, I was just thinking that a high school musical is blocked out more carefully... pretty sad.
Yeah that’s sort of how I would do it - so sad that the pilots didn’t say listen you don’t have a plan we’re not really interested to fly
@@malcolmwhite6588 Tough call for hardcore aviators, i.e. am I going to forfeit my ever-vanishing chance to fly a legendary P-51, just because a not-quite-official dude called an "Air Boss" might be a bit of a slacker/douche/pogue? Or do I "go for it" and count on my cat-like reflexes and monster Merlin powerplant to extricate myself from whatever clusterfvck might evolve? Most will choose B... 😉🙃
Excellent example.
@@MajorCaliber yeah get that as well, but sometimes you have to make a hard call- Perhaps if everybody had stood up together, they would’ve got another air boss or he would’ve pulled him self together
I stopped flying CAF air shows when this family was running as airboss. They would never use debriefs to learn of previous issues and when confronted, they were not open for criticism and made you look bad for asking questions.. Their briefs were incomplete and non sensical . I complained and was shut down. I walked away…. Your debrief is sadly spot on. I could see it. Many others could see it yet were familiar with the airboss and managed to work well with them.
Whenever I make a longish post, TH-cam censors it, it must be nice to be able to communicate without being censored constantly g.g
Internal politics, pride and arrogance played a part in this tragedy. The air boss played a part in this, the flight crews played a part in this. Everyone one of them should have had the courage to put their foot down and require clear instructions, a clear plan and a clear route to avoid disaster.
Everyone grew complacent, and they knew they were becoming complacent.
Anyone from outside even me can feel and hear the ENTITLED ARROGANCE of this airboss. Even an outsider like me smells something wrong here
His highly lacking aviation qualifications surely doesn't inspire confidence, which tells me he was ONE OF THE priveledged GOOD OLD BOYS.
Michael , you knew the situation and AVOIDED it because you knew it wasn't right. Good for you.
Hopefully they are never hired again
Hey mate, a viewer of the channel from Australia here.
Have they charged the Air Boss with anything?
Thanks in advance for your response.
"Not all air bosses have the skillset to accommodate that request."
And clearly this one didn't either, he was way too confident in his skills and it got multiple people killed and traumatized countless others. Yet after all that he still seems way too cocky, and is almost acting like this wasn't his fault in the slightest. Calling him arrogant is about the least "harsh" thing you could've called him Hoover.
The pilot who hit the bomber will (can) never be reprimanded; The air boss should never be in charge again
Reminds me of the crash in San Diego, Brown Field that killed several of Reba McEntire's band members. Do to chain of circumstances, they launched late at night VFR, planning to file IFR enroute. They flew straight into the hills to the east of Brown Field, may have been overly focused on remaining under Lindbergh's airspace. Anyway, investigators going through the wreckage found IFR charts, but no VFR charts. They asked the operations boss for the charter outfit about it. His response, 'We're a jet outfit, we don't do VFR'.
No sir, you just don't do VFR well...
As a big fan of the series Air Disasters on TV it never ceases to horrify me that with so much talent an experience out there stuff still happens.
1 person directing 7 planes with no distinct plan is insane.
It is so insane that it should be illegal.
Cowboy style mate - the fools who hired the idiot to run the cluster are also responsible for the deaths and heartache.
Air boss was such a newbie anyways
I’ll bet the air boss still got paid…. Hopefully the air boss can get a job directing a flea circus next time…
@@DougAnderson-tv1jd He couldn't deconflict 2 rubber ducks in a bathtub
This accident reminds me of the Rust film shooting, where an apparently immature and unqualified person was put in a position of responsibility largely because her father was well known for doing that type of work. In my opinion, same thing here.
Exactly. Being the son or daughter of an expert doesn't always make the son or daughter an expert in the field that the parent was an expert in.
Amen.
Came here to say exactly this.
good observation. interesting parallel
Exactly...
It is criminal how this air boss didn't get charged and sentenced multiple lifetimes over for his negligence & complacency. Then to add more salt to the wound, he doesn't take any responsibility and sees himself as being at no-fault. Really dude??
There's still time --
Whenever I make a longish post, TH-cam censors it, it must be nice to be able to communicate without being censored constantly g.g
As note the rules don’t include responsibility. This must change. If an air boss your responsible period for everything but an external party attack and here only not responsible if you have properly coordinated security with a law enforcement in area and military if appropriate.
It does not matter otherwise what happens it your fault and you have criminal responsibility.
@@milferdjones2573 That's exactly how I look at it too. Just like how ATC is responsible for avoiding collisions between aircraft, air bosses need to be held to the same standard.
@@6YJI9 How he specified the fighter to cross the path of the bombers without vertical separation defies belief. Suggesting no need to specify an altitude for the bombers makes no sense. To fly in formation, they needed to be at the same altitude, so why not specify it.
The flight boss was both incompetent and lazy.
I was asked to fly for this organization several years ago based on tailwheel, radial, and instruction experience. A couple of hangar meetings and parties convinced me to walk away. So glad I did, and Hoover’s analysis helped me understand my decision even though I couldn’t explain the feeling at the time.
Unfortunately there’s lots of politics and egos involved. Good people, but a bad mix when combined with complex operations and historical aircraft.
Allowing "ride flights" while the bombers and fighters are in such close proximity just is nonsensical. It is a distraction for the air boss. The B-17 did not answer about the fighters being in sight. Assuming things gets people killed in formation flying. I can only assume that the P63 thought he was clear of the bomber as Hoover explained. Very confusing instructions leading to loss of separation.
Thank your strong INTUITION and intelligence that is smelled a rat but could not define it, and left anyway. Smart move
YET NOBODY SAID ANYTHING...............Man , do you feel you are to blame >? You should!
@@ovlov245 oh yeah, totally...
I was there, I saw this happen. I've held off watching any sort of debrief because I was so angry about the whole situation, and not just a little traumatized at seeing this happen.
I'm a big fella, big burly hairy biker. I've been in several hairy situations where I should have died. this, where there was no danger at all to me, has affected me more than any of those. seeing two of my favorite aircraft, with people onboard, disintegrate midair before my eyes... saying "it sucked" is the understatement of the decade.
thanks for making this, thanks for explaining it all. it's taken me this long to watch something about it, and I chose your video because it popped up in my feed, and I know you're not going to be overly dramatic about it.
I’m sorry you had to witness this. I can’t even imagine being there in person. I wish I never had to make this video but I’m glad you chose mine to learn more about this tragedy.
I commented about this being such "multi layered tragedy" before seeing your comment. My thoughts included witnesses and the crowd because I knew that people that saw this happen would also suffer. From a tough old horseman to a big burly hairy biker, my heart goes out to you.
It was a very tough day, thanks for your debrief and hopefully it will save others this grief and sadness in the future
NASCAR, AIRSHOWS, BOXING, NFL, UFC, ........
THE CROWD WILL WORSHIP YOUR SUCCESS, ......BUT THEY WANT TO SEE YOU FAIL......
@@robertd7073 calm down Bobby
P-51 pilot hearing instructions: “That’s not clear.” Enough said.
God bless them all RIP....Air boss not professional enough..sad for their friends and families.Should never allow an accident like this happen so easier..its criminal
Why didn't god prevent collision?
@@lzugner I get your point, but this is probably not the time or place.
But I bet 51 didnt abort in a straight ahead slow climb after looking over his shoulder.. he and all the others just carried on regardless.
@@lzugner what's your point? you don't believe in god.
I was the safety meeting instructor when I was a heavy-equipment mech. One of the phrases I hammered on when ever I gave a class was this: "Safety rules are written in blood." A related sentiment I've heard since then is, "Failing to plan is planning to fail."
In a class for aircraft load planning, the instructor stated:"Remember, big trucks, big chains. Little trucks, little chains." Simple and precise.
saith the Sphinx, from Mystery Men-
No truer words when it comes to aviation........and all dangerous industries actually.
I found the following quote from 2021 interview of this air boss very telling:
>
If you manage safety and things regularly devolve to chaos then you’re a knowingly irresponsible air boss.
How can it go according to plan when there is no plan?
Criminal negligence. I was a JTAC, altitude separation is the easiest and simplest way to deconflict air. This scrub needs to be charged for multiple counts of manslaughter. Plain and simple. Hes making calls on the fly and has no altitude deconfliction. From the ground you would not notice 1000 ft or more of altitude separation.
I would wager that if you polled that audience watching they airshow they would vote 90-10% for safe deconfliction procedures in favor of stunts
Yep, all around bad. In the mil, well at least the Corps we have a saying. Everyone is a safety officer. Anyone and everyone is obligated to call out when there is a safety issue. That said the air boss is derelict in their duties in this case .
So Correct, elevation is invisible to the crowd.
Seems there will be no criminal charges, but last August a 7 figure civil lawsuit was filed by one of the families and specifically names the Airboss as a defendant, as well as his parent company.
That's what I just can't imagine! All those grown men just shrugged their shoulders and sid "duhhh...ok"? Not one pilot, upon seeing that one page, planless "agenda" had the balls, awareness or intelligence to ask, "what kind of bozo bullshit is this?". @brentlyday2728
Even as layperson when I heard "It can degrade safety to assign altitudes... speeds... headings..." my alarm bells went off.
No shit. Might as well say "it can be dangerous to have planes assigned to areas where they will not run into each other, it's better if they each pilot can go where they want when they want".
A similar argument can be made with seatbelts. I don't use them because the prevent me from being flung out of a the cars window to safety during an accident.
Yes, for sure!
The one phrase that can guarantee you are not in a good place is, "that's the way we have always done it" with no problems until you have problems! The best debriefing I've heard in a long long time. Former P3 guy here. Well done!
I flew on the Texas Raiders in 2017 in the bombardier slot. One of the great things I've done in my life. This really shook me up, I met those guys...
I was going to do that when I was in the US some years ago. It was travelling around the Arizona area at the time for 'experience' flights. But the wait and price I thought were just way too much (IIRC it was $400 for waist gun position and $1200! for bombardier/nose ) for 1/2 hour flight? and I was on a road trip holiday so had a schedule to keep. This was 2015.
Good you got the chance when you did.
I'm a retired captain, Continental/United.....(Aged out) Your channel and Juan Brown's are both excellent.
"AGED OUT" ....... me too, like that phrase. AMERICAN, USAIR, AMERICAN 30yrs and 65 rule for me.
I'm heading into United in the next couple of years. Always love these videos. Gives good looks into problems and how to be a safer pilot
Agree 100%
Funny, these pilots were aged out as well...
100%
I said to myself “Wow! That’s arrogant” right before you said “This might sound harsh…” Not harsh at all, totally agree with your assessment.
It's funny how I saw this comment before I got to that point in the video and yet I knew exactly what you were referring to before I even heard "This might sound harsh". To say you have a special skill set after literally being the air boss for an event with fatalities is beyond arrogant.
I was surprised no one said "are mid air collisions normal for you"
Hubris is a hell of a drug....
@@getsmart6765 Interesting that you should say that as I just came from the Prof. Sam Vaknin TH-cam channel where he regularly talks about how narcissists can be dangerous to your health.
I mean, how do you say you have skills few other air bosses have right after your show just killed 6 people? If that doesn't humble you, nothing will.
im glad to see the classy way you opened the show, remembering the victims, well done
Man, I'm not a pilot but I have to tell you how well you articulate things to make it so easy for even a novice to understand. Really enjoy your debriefs. So wonderful that you could parlay your experience as a pilot into this now. You're a true professional in every sense of the word.
The mentality that reasons, "we got away with it last time, so we'll do it again", is exactly why the Challenger shuttle crashed.
They knew the Booster seals were failing but each time they got away with a launch they pushed the envelope just that little bit more.
Fact is, there's always people out there that refuse to learn from experiences - until it happens to them, and then it's rarely them that pay the price.
I just watched a part of a documentary about this the other day in my psychology class. My professor was explaining groupthink and what can happen to those who disagree with the majority. Everyone else tried to guilt the guy who said the launch shouldn’t happen because out of tolerance temperatures the O rings had been exposed to. There are standards and operating limits for a reason.
@@Bowchickawowski To his eternal credit he refused to back down, so they got an underling to sign off on the launch. I believe he then forged a career as a safety lecturer.
I like the diagram at 11:30. That's how the B-52 at Fairchild crashed. The pilot was allowed to do anything he wanted, so he did. He pushed the edge, got away with it, pushed it a little more, got away with it, etc. In June of 1994 he found out where the real limit was, he killed himself and his crew doing it.
@@Skank_and_Gutterboyanother great example. The thing that really bothers me about your example is that it was one dude’s fini flight and it was leadership flying with him because other people complained they didn’t feel safe flying with that pilot.
The shuttle's booster seals weren't what was failing. The composition and hardness of the zinc chromate putty behind them was what was supposed to hold in the thrust, the seals were to keep water away from the chromate. The fault in the design was that the junction had the outer layer "cupped upwards" and rainwater would pool and freeze above the o-rings. Additionally when the tank was loaded the ambient temperature around the boosters would be about 8°F lower than atmosphere. The basic design was a politically forced failure. The O-rings were never designed to deal with actual engine thrust to begin with.
With all due respect to Blanco and my buddy Dan Gryder, this is by far the best Debrief of this crash on the entire internet. This was broken down on a level that no one else can match. Keep up the great work Hoover. 🙏🏼
Thank you very much!
What!? I just might have to watch this
@sjb3460Dan should have gotten heat. He is the most arrogant ass in the sky. He always thinks he has the answers, and continues to get it wrong.
@sjb3460it's very generous of you to call anything he says an "analysis".
I was thinking the same thing! Juan is one of my favorites. You did a great job on this. Thanks!👍
As former Air Force, (non-flying- but dreaming/hoping), your no BS, straight-forward TRUTH- regardless of outside influences, coupled with your impeccable experience, make watching your channel a very engaging and informative experience. Thanks for breaking it all down.
Shocking how they let such an amature Air Boss run the show!
For 7 years
Having been in the airshow circuit for 5 years as part of the US Air Force air demonstration team, and having been through at least 50 of the pre show briefs, I can tell you I never heard an air boss tell anyone to deconflict themselves like this. What usually happens at every show I was at, is a school bus or big truck is parked as "show center", typically 1,000ft from the crowd, and perpendicular to the DV tent. Big airplanes are usually told to fly over the show center, and fighters are typically told to fly inside, or closer to the crowd. The heavies are told to never fly inside the bus, or on the crowd side. Fighters are usually faster, so they typically do more of a curved path, or a "banana pass", and always split the bus and the crowd visually. When fighters enter their pass, they are supposed to hit a visual waypoint to deconflict them outside the heavies' line of flight. It doesn't sound like anything I just described was briefed at all. So this is a non-standard airshow from what I experienced. Tragic.
this incompetent air boss delegated out all of his responsibilities to try to mitigate any potential liability for this unlikely situation. "Wasn't my plan.."
BThe definition of someone in a position they dont deserve.
And just want to ask if youve been too Oshkosh in those 5 years. If so, im proud to say i have watched you perform then. Either way, I still salute you(i dont remember what demo team showed up each year lol)
@@randemness2680 "Promoted to incompetence" was a term used in business school, which may apply here.
Whenever I make a longish post, TH-cam censors it, it must be nice to be able to communicate without being censored constantly g.g
@@seane6616 it happens to me too lol
There is a lawsuit and it names the air boss Russell Royce siting negligence, being unsafe and unqualified, reckless incompetence, and lack of airmanship awareness.
I think he also banned from ever doing this again. Obviously.
All these experienced pilots let him do it anyway, walked away from the brief confused, and never spoke up. Normalization of risk…
They’re not going to get any money out of him, if as mentioned he works in an auto body shop…. anyway they’re suing the wrong person, they should take the Commemorative Airforce to court, who hired him, recruits the pilots, and organizes these air shows…
citing
@@PRH123 The CAF is named in a lawsuit from the family of B-17 pilot Len Root.
he should be on trial for negligent homicide.
@@FiveCentsPlease The usual plan is to name *everybody* in the lawsuit. And let the court decide who to remove.
As someone who grew up next to this airport… they flew close. Very impressive (dangerous/crowded) flying in the show two years before I moved. The bomber and fighters were a long time part of the show, and you would see them in the air quite a few times throughout the year. It is unbelievable how careless they were in planning and communication with how close they would fly. Thanks for the video. Nice work. RIP to the pilots
That was the best breakdown of what happened. What I don’t like is the air boss seems to be taking an “ it’s not me” attitude. Arrogance has no place in situations where lives are at stake.
I'm not defending the guy, because he is obviously a key factor in what happened, but dumping all the blame on him and pretending that pilot behavior had NOTHING to do with this tragedy is a huge copout.
This is why I don’t want to go to air shows anymore. I don’t want to see aircraft demonstrating how close they can get to each other without hitting each other. I just want to see them flying safely. Such a shame. Thanks for sharing. 🙏🙏🙏
I think the whole point was that we don't want reckless cowboys like this guy anywhere near these events. There is supposed to be an ILLUSION of proximity, not actual proximity.
@@rogueninja1685🙏🙏🙏
@@rogueninja1685nah, they are very close. It would scare the hell out of the average pilot to be that close to another aircraft.
I feel the same. Is the purpose to get closer and closer???? Does the crowd really ask for that? I think not. When i want to see ww2 aircraft, if they stay apart, that is fine with me.
I want to see the aircraft. Not the aircrafts touching each other. Maybe there is a misperception on the part of the organizers that they think this is what the crowd wants.
@@fdllicksabsolutely agree. So sad to something like this happening over and over again. Completely unnecessary to have aircraft fly so close to each other.
Shared my hangar with Craig for about a year. We crossed paths often. Great guy, very knowledgeable and I always appreciated his thoughts, professionalism and sharing of experience. I departed CXO in sequence directly behind the B17 the day it left CXO for this event. Was able to take some pics as it rolled down the runway and thought about Veterans Day and those who flew on her during her lifespan. Blessings to all.
I'm sure Craig's family appreciates Hoover making this video, because a lot of people initially blamed Craig for this tragedy.
@@jockob1671 Agree Jock, that is what I came away with.
Whenever I make a longish post, TH-cam censors it, it must be nice to be able to communicate without being censored constantly g.g
This crash still haunts me, as a longtime fan of Wings Over Houston at iconic Ellington AFB, where I have enjoyed that particular B-17 for years, and from watching and photographing both planes as they regularly flew over my home near Lake Conroe. Such a tragedy.
Terrific presentation. As a former air show performer, I agree 100% with your analyzation. I left the air show industry years ago simply because the show was about ego... not about safety.
My Dad was a B-17 Bombadier - at the ripe old age of 23, and flew his 20-some missions (Not sure of the exact number) out of Port Moresby New Guinea in late 43 into 44. Had a good friend on another crew ask him on a mission they were short a man, he declined. Guy asked several times. My Dad, Major Frederick O. Blair decided if asked again, he would go, even though he had his required missions. The guy didn't ask again, which is good, because that entire crew was lost on that mission, and you would never see this comment, had he just asked one more time. Everything changes in a heartbeat. RIP this group of flyers.
It's all one big trip 🙏🤠
My grandpa was the first American (US Army at least) to drop bombs on Germany. Lead bombardier B-17 flying out of England. One of his missions, he had to ditch in the English Channel. My minister when I was growing up was a B-17 ball belly gunner. These men were different breed
Kinda wish I hadn't seen the comment tho ngl
25 Missions was the requirement; not many made it that far. “Hot Stuff” (B-24) was the first Bomber to complete 25 Missions; they were on the way home to the United States when they crashed into a mountain in Iceland. Everyone aboard except the Tail Gunner were killed.
2 interesting notes about this crash; they were carrying Lt. General Frank Andrews back to Washington (he was Commander of the ETO at the time; Andrews AFB is named for him). General Eisenhower replaced as SAC ETO.
Since all but one of the crew of Hot Stuff died in the crash, the USAAF decided to send the B-17 “Memphis Belle” home and use her crew as the “First to reach 25 Missions”, even though they weren’t.
I guess it sounded better than “The first Bomber Crew to complete the Required 25 Combat Missions was killed in a Heavy Weather Crash while carrying the Theatre Commander on their way back home”.
I suspect your Dad was superstitious like most of us are. He’d finished his 25 Missions and had his ticket home; not smart to gamble with the jackpot when you’ve already won it, survived and beaten nearly impossible odds.
Thats why you dont hire unqualified family members as a Air Boss and allow them to make it up as they go. While also playing ATC. He guided that fighter right into the Bomber. Because he relied on him to be his eyes. Their was no way to see that Bomber especially in that fighter the cockpit visibility is awful especially while belly up in a turn when it is camouflaged in a color similar to the ground.
As always, I blame DEI.
yeah like that airliner captain who gave his aircraft controls to his young son in the cockpit as a plaything which kills all in the aircraft.
@@captaindunsel2806 Nepotism is nothing new.
Whenever I make a longish post, TH-cam censors it, it must be nice to be able to communicate without being censored constantly g.g
I was involved with doing some air to air photos in 1991. Be beside the fact I was taking the pictures, I also was the spotter to handle distances the pilots (namely the one I was in because they could no the other plane). A flight plan was filed for this formation flying. Areas as simple maintaining simple turns and keeping the same distances were important. The end result was some nice pictures. This was also my first time doing this, and as a result, I took it very seriously.
Hearing this info on this airshow just showcased how poor planning can become very deadly. Thank you for the detailed account of this event.
"it's not fair to say that adding a restriction increases safety" --- as a junior engineer I was told to jump back when "not invented here" or "not the way we've always done it" were put on the table.
This is what happens when you put somebody supremely unqualified in such a position. He sounds like he's about 12 years old. And in my legal opinion, he should be brought up on homicide charges due to his reckless conduct
He definitely should be charged for his negligence and not allowed to be a Air Boss.
He's 58
homicide = intentional, reckless = manslaughter as there is no direct intent to kill, please use correct terms
@@greatunz67 , mental age of 6, FFS.
Just sounds poorly trained due to limited training.
For myself, I don't need to see magnificent and historic airplanes such as the B-17s and the fighter planes all flying at the same time racing around. I would be content to see the B-17's take off, fly around, and land by themselves. The same thing for the fighter planes. The terrible loss of the lives of those brave pilots is unforgivable. I would much rather have those pilots with us today and have safer (albeit) tame airshows. The thrills last for seconds, death is forever.
Maggie - Agree. I used to go to the Watsonville airshow on the west coast every year. They brought in a B-17 but mostly it was on static display. Airshow operations were always conducted in a safe manner.
i suspect having multiple in the air having to do with limited number of time slots each act can have. if youve got 300 aircaft in a show youre not going to get them all off the ground going in sequence.
@@thurin84 Well, have at least alot of space between each one so there's no danger of collision etc. if they're in the air at the same time.
IF there are too many planes for one airshow, maybe have two, or more for different types of aircraft? It's done at Duxford every year.
@@Thenogomogo-zo3un as long as separation and altitude assignments are followed strictly i dont thing having multiple aircraft in the sky at once is a problem.
I was thinking this exact same thing a week or two ago when I saw a video of the Thunder birds I think it was, where two of the jets accidentally touched tip tanks while doing one of their formations, luckily no one was injured and they landed safely with the tip tank hanging off the wing.
While I think these kinds of shows are amazing to watch, I just don't think the risk is worth it for entertainment purposes to perform such risky maneuvers.
Great channel Hoover, I'm a retired maritime surveillance Pilot, law enforcement. Being retired for 11 years now and your videos are a great source of knowledge ,kudos to you and thank you for your service.
That Air Boss played fast & loose with the pilot’s lives by irresponsibly trying to orchestrate part of the air show on the fly over the radio. What a needless tragedy. I hope the FAA makes sure he never works as an Air Boss again.
Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines!
as you said ORCHESTRATE ON THE FLY and over the RADIO! Radio is not a form of communication to orchestrate manoeuvres where milliseconds decide if you make it or not. I understand in a combat scenario, a dog fight.
Yes, but am a little amazed that all the experienced pilots accepted a half ass no plan.
This is what struck me. All those pilots, all those years of experience, and nobody raised their hand to say "hey, we have basically no plan here, I have no idea what I'm supposed to do once I'm airborne."
That's basically how the normalization of deviancy works. Which is also related to the complacency that comes with experience or repetition when nothing bad has happened in the past.
Came here to say the same thing. Seems like the pilots were also operating in the spiral of deviance.
Been saying this since the incident.. and every time my comment gets pulled.. maybe this time itll stay. If this goes to court all those pilots will be questioned on this.
I think it was one of Juan Brown’s videos where he stated that even extremely experienced pilots felt they would be penalized for speaking up or asking questions, i.e., not be selected to fly in the future.
I’m not a pilot but it just seems that something like an air show with many aircraft involved should have EVERY part of the show fully choreographed before any plane leaves the ground.
Exactly. And even then there should be altitude separation.
If you have a good plan you can adjust it when something comes up, when you have no plan or a really bad plan there is no adjusting
@@tomr3422 You nailed it. There has to BE a plan in order to recognize problems within the plan.
as a pilot, who has been in airshows, I and all other pilots agree.
I know nothing about these types of planes, the baseline norm of operation(s), but irregardless I sure couldn’t understand what that Air Boss was saying, and clearly was giving too many instructions that should have been gone over and over prior to the show. A practice run once or twice would have picked up on these problems. As a health care professional--one thing I have learned over the years is--sometimes the long time “experts” get too comfortable in their role. And so then because they are long time experts, people rely to much on that, and don’t think for themselve--and that’s dangerous for allll involved. “Thank You.”
Thanks for a great debrief. I crewed on the B-17 involved in 1988 at the Mount Comfort air show in Indiana. This tragedy truly broke my heart.
Excellent presentation of the information, Hoover. They way you organized the facts and the visual aids made this complex incident simple to understand. Keep it up !
I'm in the transportation industry. I've worked with a lot of bosses over 26 years, just like this one. it's like a personality trait that some people have that drive them towards deviation. It should exclude them from any type of safety sensitive leadership role. His post accident statements say, "I'll never learn from my mistakes"
The reason why he won't learn from them is because he doesn't believe he made any. I think that's the thing that bothers me the most is that his personality type is one that will never accept any responsibility. He should be losing sleep over the men he killed, but he won't. Furthermore, if he ever is held to any kind of accountability he will claim he is the victim.
Reminds me of Stockton Rush, (former) CEO of Oceangate. He prided himself on deviation from the standard safety practices of deep sea submersibles and it resulted in his sub imploding.
@@peterphan227 Good comparison, but at least Rush was putting himself in danger as well. This guy got to sit back while he got people killed.
I always assumed people in charge of air shows would have to adhere to numerous rules set by governing bodies (FAA in this case), due to all the accidents in the past. Apparently those rules are limited to proximity to the crowd and minimum altitudes. It is shocking how that air boss managed the show.
Thank you for explaining such complex circumstances, so even somebody who has nothing to do with aviation, like me, can understand it!
Well the first issue is putting any faith that the FAA does anything proactive. The CFRs are written in blood. Ensuring a safe operation should be planned and consulted with by SMEs.Compliance should be a checklist by-product. Not the goal.
Thankfully no one on the ground was killed, and that's almost certainly because of the restrictions put on airshows by the various governing agencies. These rules were "written in blood".
Normal rules of flight safety (ie see and avoid in VFR) are still applicable during air shows. None of those rules are voided just because a plane is engaged in a formation flight before a crowd.
I'm not sure how i got here but this is a great debrief. Good video. Extremely frustrating that this happened.
I used to work in Quality on a production site and your comments about normalizing deviance are so true.
Excellent and informative video on this tragic event, thank you for the the time (days, weeks?) you put into making this.
I really appreciate this video having been made. A few decades ago I was involved with this very same organization, and was working on the tarmac at an air show. Out of the blue they told me to marshal a particular aircraft, something I’d had absolutely no training in or experience with. I did the best that I could. The end result fortunately was just a WWII plane that had to be towed out of a muddy spot … but it could have been much worse, and ever since then I‘be gotten a sick feeling in my gut every time I think about it. I parted ways with that organization the next year, and I haven’t been able to bring myself to go to an air show since, no matter how much I love those planes. I’ve always felt some degree of guilt over my relatively minor failure that day, but I’m only now realizing this kind of carelessness is endemic of that organization, and I’m glad I left when I did.
This is an example of what these air shows entail. We all sit and watch just expecting the air boss to be competent.
I’m an air shoe enthusiast and I fear one day they will cancel out these events due to negligence just like this.
None of this should have happened.
That or Insurance will become impossible to afford; I'm with you.
@@RedArrow73 I honestly thought after this tragedy, they would stop having these shows. Which would be just awful but in today’s culture, I can see it happening.
@@daves4589that will never happen. They are incredibly popular and bring in good money.
Air shoes are cool
@@raeraebadfingers I was trying to come up with something about the shoes as well. I didn't succeed, so I am giving you a thumbs-up.
Another great video. I remember this so well and watched tons of video footage to see what had occurred. Thank you again!!
Excellent breakdown of all the things that went wrong with this incident. Thank you for sharing your insights on this.
You explain things so calmly and straightforward. Really enjoy your channel Hoover
Hear hear 💯👍
Great channel, indeed. He rocks.
I appreciate that!
I couldn't agree more
I’m just a retired minion paratrooper.. & even I know there MUST be vertical altitude separation of any aircraft crossing paths.
Rip 🫡
Minion?...... Where's That?
@@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg lol…. By minion I meant “not in charge” 🤣. Retired from 20th GP in 2011
This debrief is outstanding reporting on this tragic event, Hoover. I appreciate how much work went into this. Thanks for your candor.
Great job detailing what happen and explaining your point of view!
I was at an air show at Lakehurst NJ about 30 years ago. I watched a paratrooper fall to the ground and bounce right in front of me. I haven’t been to an air show since.
Parachute failed?
@@brianfitch5469Homer: doh, much? 😢
@@cyclone4life_isu142 obviously the most likely outcome. However they have been hit by planes behind them before.
Shannon Airport. Fredericksburg Virginia 1980? In that scenario a jumper's main and reserve chute failed to deploy... terrible..
I have never flown an airplane, but I'm addicted to your videos because of your obvious expertise in this field, your ability to explain technical details to a wide audience, your empathy for the victims and your humility.
Thank you very much. I greatly appreciate that!
Excellent debrief. Thank you very much for the very informative context and the focus on what happened and the learnings for the future.
This is such an EXCELLENT post. Thank you!
Early in my career was part of many airshows run by the Navy or Air Force and could listen in to what the Air Boss was doing/saying. Their level of expertise and ability to deconflict is 100% as you describe and I was (and remain) in awe of their skills and discipline. This video highlights what amounts to amateur hour and it cost people their lives.
Texas Raider was hangered at my Home Drone, KCXO. I would often stroll in and get up close and touch history. The volunteers were always gracious and ready for questions.
In about 77 or 78 Texas Raiders was parked down in Galveston and my dad had a friend that was part of the ground crew. I got to hangout a couple of weekends until they got it running well enough to take it down to Harlingen.
RIP
Terry M. Barker
(1955-2022)
Kevin D. Michels
(1969-2022)
Dan A. Ragan
(1934-2022)
Lloyd Root
(1956-2022)
Curtis J. Rowe
(1958-2022)
and
Craig S. Hutain
(1959-2022)
Great video!!
As ATC tower & radar supervisor for 35+ years, and having attended numerous air show briefings, I am not at all surprised this happened with this particular "air boss" (Russ Royce) and his father who trained (?) him. Ralph Royce is "still" performing at airshows to this day - insane!!! Talk about normalization of deviation!!! Two things I remember about the briefings was that Royce had a hard start time and would shut the door and not let anyone fly if they were late. This practice of being "firm handed" led pilots to believe he "really ran a tight ship!". Obviously that was all crap, and when the briefings ended, and it was clear that there was a lot missing, everyone was left thinking WTF over? I would ask questions and the only answer we'd get was "you worry about ATC and we'll work the show". This is another reason the "pros" (Blue Angels, T-Birds) have their own Air Boss'. The reality is, that during an airshow, when everyone is properly briefed, acts are separated and scheduled, deconflicted, etc.... there really is no need for ATC or an Air Boss. The field is NOTAMed closed for participants only. Anyhow, that's my .02 worth. IMHO, and again having first hand experience with this crew, neither of them should be talking to airplanes any longer.
I now work as a consultant and something we see frequently is that sometimes once a CEO (or other process manager) has verbalized a plan and receives no negative feedback/pushback, he moves to the next plan and in his mind the first plan is already DONE. Good on the 51 driver for trying, but there was no stopping this Air Boss's personality. Also couldn't agree more about the "additional restriction" not being effective; sound like he has accepted that periodic failure is inherent in the airshow process.
Bingo!
"Giving people altitudes is dangerous to safety, because it'll just focus their eyes on the altimeter"
Yeah, commercial airline flights have to deal with getting altitudes from ATC all the time, and it's SO, SO dangerous! There're multiple crashes like, every single day! Why didn't ANYBODY think of this amazing idea to remedy it?!
...oh, wait.
I didn't believe this guy when he said that. He offered that because he lacks any other real justification for his poor performance. Pilots learn early how to divide their attention. These pilots were clearly experienced enough to possess those skills instictively by this time.
Who isnt used to scanning the insturments every couple of seconds especially in congested space- Theses were guys with thousands of hours, not a huge task for them. I am disappointed in the FAA for not really asking the hard questions.
@@tomr3422 They'll be asked alright....in court. The FAA is dead scared of the US pilot fraternity... dont know why but it is.
Nicely done. Very interesting to hear the perspective of someone that's "been there, done that". Your production quality continues to improve. Very good content.
Hi,
I was so impressed with your prior history and qualifications that you have under your belt.
I am so impressed with the respectful way you conduct yourself and the stream and most of all having the respect you show for the people and their relatives involved in these unfortunate incidents.
Yours Faithfully
Kindness Regards
Steve
The worst part of this is the pilots who left that briefing without asking some logical questions about the formation and flight plan or lack there of
Was just going to comment on that aspect too. The Pilots share responsibility in agreeing and complying with such a poor flight plan, if you can even call it a "flight plan".
If only just one of them, refused to fly until a more thorough plan was in place, maybe just maybe that day would have been a routine Air Show, instead of a tragic event.
The real danger that day was... too much over confidence and complacency by all involved.
Hopefully, this incident goes on to save lives by causing all future Air Shows to be rigorous with their Flight Plans, no matter the experience, age or prestige of those involved.
I kept thinking about the fact that these are all different aircraft with different flight characteristics and of differing ages and states of functionality. A good air boss should know the intimate nitty gritty details of the aircraft in the show, or at least have reliable support personnel who do, all to ensure every facet of operation is covered and ingrained in flight crews and air bosses and ground crews.
Listening to the audio had my head hurting because no one implemented a clear procedure of confirmation of orders or instructions. Call signs were poorly used, repeating of instructions and orders were terrible, and there seemed to be a lot of radio chatter between everyone at once.
The air boss was just talking out of his tail the entire time.
The fact that they are allowed to do show rides or “ride alongs” in other aircraft WHILE the air show is actively underway just blew my mind! I’m not a pilot and still, that automatically sounded like the worst and dumbest idea EVER when I heard it ! How stupid and just adds even more unnecessary danger. I guess anything goes for the almighty dollar 😢
Right? That would be like giving ride alongs during the Indy 500. You might not get run over if you time it just right but not everyone's attention is going to be on the actual race.
I didn’t know you were an F-15 Fighter Pilot. I worked on F-15s at Nellis AFB from 1984 to 1988. This crash gives me anxiety, as it was so chaotic and could have been prevented like you said, with a little bit of planning beforehand. Thanks for the breakdown.
Omg😮 This is absurd " let's do this! Although we didn't define any restrictions and we don't have a plan! Good luck everybody!"
There is just so much that went horribly wrong here, I can only hope lessons have been learned but for what price the loss of these wonderful lives, thank you Hoover you're always the one to give us the best debriefs.
He will be asked what the plan was in the trial and lawsuits. He basically pulled a Rust armorer. He must have more cop buddies than she did.
I suspect he gets more of the benefit of the doubt than she ever would.
California DAs are also generally more interested in actually prosecuting crimes, especially high profile ones that come out of one of the darling industries there. Texas isn't exactly known for consistent enforcement of laws against white guys.
@@PRC533 Ironic
What's interesting too is the Rust armorer's father trained her, just like the father of the air boss. Nepotism I guess...
Your video has to be the best breakdown of this accident that I've seen. I remember all of the social media postings when this happened and how confused they all left me as to how wrong it all must have gone for the accident to unfold in the way that it did. Then as details start to emerge and breakdowns like this come out, how angry it left me to know that there was no plan whatsoever and how avoidable this all was. As you laid out in the video, there was obviously so much wrong with the entire setup leading to this tragedy, but I cannot get past just how sloppy the radio work was from the airboss, and how confusing it must have been to anyone sitting in any one of those airplanes. Closing my eyes and focusing only on the radio, I came away with absolutely zero situational awareness during his ramblings, and I'm only flying my desk. I can't imagine how much of an SA-drain it must have been when you add in flying formation or deconflicting with other flights. What a shame.
Thanks for your excellent analysis.
RIP Texas Raiders. I miss her. RIP P-63. Thanks, Hoover, for covering this story. Thank You for your service. ❤
I completely agree with you Hoover.
As a former Air Force and Army pilot, this is a sad example of an ego getting people killed. In all my missions, we always had thorough pre and post briefs and tons of walk throughs, this was so lacking. I was also an FAA Air Carrier inspector that supervised several air shows, primarily with the T Birds, but I had the opportunity to sit in on a few of their briefings as I had a good relationship with them and as a participant in a Houston airshow (static display in the AH-64a), observed a very thorough prebriefing especially from the CAF. I think you may be missing a piece of this de brief and that would be the extent of the CAF participants and did they have their own prebrief? Had they flown this show routine in practice or at another air show? I think that question needs to be addressed to complete this very comprehensive video. Thank you Hoover.
There's a big difference between professionals and amateurs that happen to own a lot of very rare aircraft.
I would posit that there are multiple egos involved here - not only that of the air boss.
Another great debrief. I can say that as a retired pilot, I always treated every flight as if it was my first! Never assume that because something worked last time it will work today. Flying safety was and still is my number one priority!
Thank you for your expert Debrief. I live in Dallas, had been a Marine assigned to Air Stations and love air shows, but couldn't make it to this one. When I heard about this horrific tragedy (almost immediately) I was saddend and aghast wondering what went wrong. Like many here, and having run (land) operations in both the military and law enforcement, I just assumed that air shows conducted an expert and detailed preflight choreography lead by a specialized ATC and chief pilot. My knowledge of an "air boss" are the very professional and highly trained/experienced ones who handle flight ops on aircraft carriers. But learned it here that the role has been missappropriated by this air show association. Anyone familiar with a true Naval air boss will be mislead by the name. It's like calling someone who does manicures an orthopedist. To see this level of arrogance, laziness, and complacency by this [I prefer to call him an 'air show advisor'] is criminal. Your walk thru of what happened is brilliant.
The tape from the airboss is just shocking. How could he have thought that making the show up on scene would have ended well? Juan Browne covered this story from the beginning and there is a lot to be learned from his videos too; one of the victims was Juan's instructor at some point. I have seen his videos on this a few times over some period as i myself understand more about aviation as an enthusiast. Really shocking accident. Juan's last video on this explains what the final report concluded and it is very detailed and easy to understand the story for someone who hasn't been following it from the beginning
Best analysis I’ve seen so far. Thanks for your perspective.
Also, nice seeing those pics of you next to those LANTIRN pods. Spent the better part of my career working on that system. Hope they served you well
Great technical understanding and putting most important points easly understandable for everyone! Perfect!
I am appalled at the lack of planning. I never realized that an airshow was run by the seat of someones pants who is sitting on the ground with so little perspective of what is going on. This tragedy would have never happened if the planning and instructions were clear.
Horrible. Another site gave a detail on this accident and by all acounts it seems that the Airboss was not upto the task.
The radio traffic and other information was released shortly after he was also directing landings while directing the show. It was known that if didn't do what they wanted you didn't get to fly in the show. So no one challenged him in the briefing do to fear of retaliation even when it made absolutely no sense.
The only thing this guy is boss of is the buffet at Golden Corral.
His name is Russell Royce. Google him. He’s 400 pounds of shit in a 200 pound sack.
The participating pilot should have spoke up. It was their LIVES at stake. WTF.
They used him for 7 years? Just seems strange none of the pilots had any concerns in that span.
@@Wargasm54 In sorry for the truth but it then makes them all as bad as he was... They were all culpable and if it goes to court some darn awkward Q's are going to be asked.
"What's you plan?" - an inescapable and necessary question that precedes all actions especially in the military.
Agreed ... and really surprised the FAA never asked that question.
This was extremely fascinating. Thank you for the informative debrief. I enjoyed the explanation of deconfliction methods.
excellent & honest video. As an retired KC-135 & KC-10 boom operator, i will always remember the most important WARNING in the Dash-1. "Flying aircraft in close vertical proximity is not safe, etc". ...p.s... thank you for showing the air refueling of you behind the KC-135.
If a pilot walked out of the briefing, not knowing what the plan was, surely that's on the pilot for not putting their hand up and asking for clarification?
Exactly, grey haired career pilots with tens of thousands of hours who’ve been drilled with CRM their whole careers…. all said nothing….
@@PRH123 exactly, they share responsibility for what eventually happened that day in Dallas.
That's I think the exact problem with normalization that hoover was talking about. These guys were all competent and experienced and after so many times of making it work, even the experience and training they had that should have told them to say something got subdued.
There may also be the element of worrying that if they start making a stink, they won't get to fly anymore, so there may have been a culture of not wanting to rock the boat.
100% agree. As incompetent as the air boss may have been... if those pilots weren't sure exactly where they were supposed to be at all times they are no question just as guilty. Such a needless senseless tragedy.
While I feel bad for the families - no victims only participants.
You mention having flown two fine MCAIR aircraft, the F/A-18D and F-15E. One Navy, one Air Force. You must have an interesting resume!
Thanks for the debrief man. Stella as always.
I don't even do anything flying and I am an experienced engineer. However, system-wide thinking follows patterns and how you broke down the timeline and process development and management is terrific. Thank you.
Thank you for the analysis of this incident Hoover. This mishap received a lot of attention and it was nice to finally hear a detailed breakdown of what lead up to it, now that more information is known and the investigation has been conducted. Such a heartbreaking tragedy.
Thank you, Hoover for your in-depth analysis. I wish harm to nobody, but I hope this so-called “air boss” is severely punished for his role in this tragedy.
Thanks for doing this. Very educational and productive.
Excellent debrief!
Let's check it out.
Also nepotism detected in the staff.
Nepotism isn't inherently bad, it's just that the family relationship may (sometimes) take precedence over competency issues.
@@MrShobar True, it doesn't guarantee passed on improved talents or skills. It's often just because.
@@MrShobarnepotism in early stages may not be bad. As years go by it is ALWAYS bad. It will ALWAYS cause problems because it is never fair.
@@MrShobarEver heard of...... Merit?. You're telling everyone just Who you are Goosey
@MrShobar Problem is it nearly always "takes precedence over competence", if the positions are Bosses or Management, because they get to (re)define "compentence" on the fly!
Hoover. Top notch analysis. Hopefully your thoughtfulness will prevent others making the same mistakes.
Most Excellent debrief as usual Hoover. You explained everything very thoroughly, I learned about 1000% more than I thought I knew about air shows. Thank You!