The wife and daughters of one of six men killed at an air show last year when two World War II planes crashed into the sky in front of a large Texas crowd are suing organizers of the event.
Len Root’s family, including his wife Angela Norris Root, filed a lawsuit against the Commemorative Air Force, the group that put on the Wings Over Dallas air show.
Kevin Koudelka, the family’s attorney, said, “Ms. Root saw this happen, and she’s not doing very well,” referring to the fatal accident.
“We need a trial to find out what happened and who is responsible. The second part is who is responsible? What happened? Who is wrong? And why did it happen? And hold them accountable.
Root, 66, was a retired American Airlines pilot who earned his pilot’s license when he was 16.
Len Root (left) and his wife, Angela Norris Root, who are suing the organizers of the air show at which her husband died last November
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collided mid-air during an air show in Dallas.
Last November, he was on board a B-17 bomber with four other crew members when it collided with a P-63 fighter jet, killing everyone aboard both planes.
The complaint alleges negligence, in particular on the part of the air boss – hired by CAF – whom Koudelka described as “a quarterback who gives the orders for the event”.
According to audio recordings released by the FAA several months ago, the air chief gave the pilots the go-ahead just seconds before the crash.
In a statement obtained by FoxCAF said: “We are aware of the lawsuit filed against the Commemorative Air Force on August 31 by the family of one of our members who was tragically killed in the accident at the Wings Over Dallas Airshow in November 2022 . »
“Our attorneys are reviewing the petition and will respond through the appropriate channels.”
The entity added that it would wait to formally respond until the National Transportation Safety Board arrives.
Root was among five other men who died in the accident. Terry Baker, Curt Rowe, Kevin Michels, Dan Ragan and Craig Hutain were also killed.
Horrifying videos of the fatal crash showed the fighter jet appearing to slam directly into the bomber, creating a huge ball of fire and smoke and sending parts of both planes crashing to the ground.
The incident is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the NTSB. Although a final accident report could still take months.
The preliminary report did not mention the cause of the accident, but indicated that there had been no altitude advisory plan for the pilots before the show.
Koudelka said he believed more lawsuits would be filed soon, although his firm was the first to do so.
Len Root was 66 when he died in the two-plane crash and was a retired American Airlines pilot who had been licensed for 50 years.
Terry Barker was the other pilot aboard the B-17 plane when it crashed into a P-63 fighter jet.
Horrifying videos of the fatal crash showed the fighter jet appearing to slam directly into the bomber, creating a huge ball of fire and smoke and sending parts of both planes crashing to the ground.
Dan Ragan was one of the pilots killed in the dramatic and horrific crash.
Plan of a B-17 fighter plane – the one involved in the accident was a Boeing model
Last year’s shocking crash was watched by hundreds on the ground and filmed in sickening detail as air show spectators and photographers captured the event on their mobile phones and professional cameras.
The two men – Root and Terry Baker – were members of the B-17 crew, operating and maintaining the historic Texas Raiders aircraft, one of five B-17s licensed to fly.
Witnesses said debris was strewn on Highway 67 in Texas, where fire departments said an active fire had broken out. The freeway was closed and traffic was diverted.
Footage filmed in the aftermath of the tragedy showed smoke billowing over the Dallas festival tents. The event was part of the Air Force Commemorative Show for Veterans Day weekend.
Wings Over Dallas is an annual air show hosted by Commemorative Air Force, an organization dedicated to preserving World War II aircraft.
The CAF was founded as a non-profit organization in 1961 and the weekend show was part of their historic Air Power Tour, billed as a national tour of World War II aircraft.
The band advertises that all of its shows include at least one extremely rare aircraft like a Boeing B-29 Superfortress or a B-24 Liberator.
Angela Root’s lawyer Kevin Koudellka says he expects more lawsuits to be filed soon
Craig Hutan is another of the pilots killed in the November 12, 2022 crash
Maj. Curt Rowe, a more than 30-year veteran of the Civil Air Patrol’s Ohio Wing, was also killed in the crash.
Kevin Michels is another of the men who lost their lives in Dallas last year
Airshow safety — especially with older military aircraft — has been a concern for years.
In 2011, 11 people were killed in Reno, Nevada, when a P-51 Mustang crashed into onlookers. In 2019, a suicide bomber crashed in Hartford, Connecticut, killing seven people.
The NTSB then said it had investigated 21 crashes since 1982 involving World War II bombers, resulting in 23 deaths.
