‘Horribly tragic’: 6 crew killed in Dallas air show crash died doing what they loved

The Commemorative Air Force on Monday released the names of all six flight crew members who were killed when a P-63 Kingcobra collided with a B-17 Flying Fortress at the CAF’s Wings Over Dallas air show on Saturday.

The five members of the B-17 flight crew were Terry Barker and Leonard “Len” Root, both of Keller; Dan Ragan, of Dallas; Curtis “Curt” Rowe, of Hilliard, Ohio; and Kevin “K5” Michels, of Austin. The P-63 was flown by Craig Hutain, who was from the Houston area.

“We are heartbroken to announce that the following members of the Commemorative Air Force went west on Saturday, November 12, 2022, at the Wings Over Dallas WWII Airshow while performing,” the Commemorative Air Force said on its website. “Please join us in mourning the loss of our good friends and fellow airmen.”

Videos taken by spectators show the P-63 fighter collide with the back of the B-17 bomber, causing both of the vintage World War II-era planes to break apart and crash to the ground in a ball of flames.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash. A preliminary report is expected to take four to six weeks, and the full investigation will last a year or more.

Terry Barker

Barker, 67, was an Army veteran who flew helicopters during his military service and worked as a pilot for American Airlines for 36 years before retiring in 2020. He served two terms on the Keller City Council until 2003.

Keller Mayor Armin Mizani wrote in a Facebook post about turning to Barker for counsel.

“Terry Barker was beloved by many. He was a friend and someone whose guidance I often sought. Even after retiring from serving on the City Council and flying for American Airlines, his love for community was unmistakable,” Mizani wrote.

Barker helped set up a Field of Honor in front of Keller Town Hall last week. The display of 1,776 American flags to pay tribute to veterans was scheduled to come down on Sunday. Mizani said it will stay up for another week in memory of Barker.

In 2001, Barker described to a reporter his 10-year pursuit to build an aerobatic biplane in his spare time.

“Somebody said it’s like a postman taking a walk on his day off,” he said. “But I’m very lucky because I get paid for doing what I enjoy. At work, everybody likes a nice, smooth ride. But I still like going upside down. It’s just a feeling I’ve never gotten over, that free and independent opportunity to go out and fly.”

A celebration of Barker’s life has been scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at White’s Chapel United Methodist Church in Southlake.

Len Root

Root, 66, lived in the Keller area and had worked as a pilot and manager for the Gulf Coast Wing of the Commemorative Air Force since October 2021, according to a LinkedIn profile.

He previously worked for American Airlines for 35 years as a flight director and flight management system program controller.

In a Facebook post, friend Dave Lesher said that Root was an extraordinary man.

“Len tragically died doing what he loved; flying a warbird in an airshow,” Lesher wrote. “To say you will be missed is the world’s biggest understatement, my friend. You are loved, and we are all better for having known you.”

Curt Rowe

Rowe, a major in the Ohio Wing of the Civil Air Patrol from Hilliard, Ohio, also died on board the B-17. He had served with the organization for more than 30 years and had a passion for flying, according to a statement from the Air Patrol.

“Curt touched the lives of thousands of his fellow Civil Air Patrol members, especially when flying cadets during hundreds of orientation flights over the course of his service,” Col. Pete Bowden, commander of the Air Patrol, said in the statement.

Rowe, 64, was a crew chief on the B-17, his brother-in-law Andy Keller told The Associated Press. Rowe did air shows several times a year because he fell in love with WWII aircraft, Keller said.

Craig Hutain

Hutain, 63, was a pilot for United Airlines and had planned to retire in a few years, according to KDFW-TV. He lived in Montgomery, Texas, in the Houston area.

“From my behalf, it’s an honor and it’s a privilege to fly this airplane. It’s a great responsibility and I take that responsibility very seriously,” Hutain said in a July video interview with Vintage Aviation News, while standing in front of the P-63F.

“It’s near and dear to my heart,” he said. “I’ve always been a pilot. ... It’s really a life-long obsession for me.”

Hutain began flying with the Commemorative Air Force and Tora Tora Tora airshows, which reenact the invasion of Pearl Harbor, in 2009, according to the airshow website.

According to his biography, Hutain started flying when he was 10 years old with his father, who was a bomber pilot in World War II. He described having to use pillows to boost him up in the seat of the first airplane he learned to fly. He flew by himself at 17.

He became a flight instructor while in college. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California, in 1982 and then started flying for airlines.

The profile said Hutain had more than 34,500 hours of flight time in over 100 types of aircraft. He was rated as an airline transport, commercial glider and seaplane pilot, as well as a flight instructor for single and multi-engine aircraft.

His friend Dale McLeod told WFAA-TV that Hutain “lit up any room he was in” and was “one of the best pilots I’ve ever flown with.” They flew together off and on for 25 years.

Dan Ragan

Ragan, 88, was a Navy Korean War veteran from Dallas, according to a 2021 article in the Tyler Morning Telegraph.

During the war, Ragan, a colonel, served as a radio operator in the combat information center on a Navy PV1W plane, according to the Tyler newspaper.

The article was written when he was taking visitors on rides on the same type of Navy plane at the Rose City Airfest at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.

“About 15 years ago I wrote the history of my Navy squadron and that’s when I found out one of these Navy PV1W still flies and survived the bone yard,” Ragan told the Tyler Morning Telegraph. “Tears came to my eyes.”

Kevin Michels

Michels, 42, lived in Austin, according to his Facebook page, where he posted an airborne cockpit video tour of the B-17 that he filmed this summer.

“Special thanks to CAF Gulf Coast Wing’s B-17 Texas Raiders and the following Wing members who helped make this video on that summer day over Georgia,” he wrote in a message thanking crew members including Barker and Root.

Michels served roles on the flight crew including media representative and historian, and he supervised tours for veterans and the public.

“I’ve spent hours processing this horribly tragic event. Shock. Disbelief. Sadness,” a friend, Tulvee May, wrote on Facebook. “Kevin was such a genuinely fun, kind and talented human being.”

Donations for families

The International Council of Air Shows Foundation, in association with the CAF, is accepting donations for the families of those involved in the accident. To donate, go to https://airshowfoundation.org/support, select “Donation in honor or memory of an individual,” and type “CAF” as the “Name of Memorialized.”

The council said that 100% of the money collected through this effort will be provided to the families as emergency funding, with all received funds being split equally among the families.

This report includes information from the Star-Telegram’s archives and The Associated Press.

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