Tragedy struck at the Commemorative Air Force's Wings Over Dallas event in November 2022, where a mid-air collision claimed the lives of six people. After a two-year probe, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that inadequate planning and insufficient oversight were at the core of the incident, involving a Boeing B-17G bomber and a Bell P-63F fighter. FOX4 News reported that during repositioning maneuvers involving eight planes, the P-63F collided with the B-17G from behind.

According to the findings CBS News Texas elaborated, visibility constraints exacerbated by the aircraft structures and flight paths contributed to the limited ability of the pilots to see and avoid each other. Instructions from the air boss, who lacked a deconfliction plan, were found confusing by some pilots in interviews, adding to the operational chaos.

The NTSB's investigation discovered that no risk assessment plan was in place, communication directives were unclear, and without recurrent evaluations for air bosses, the air show industry's safety measures appeared lacking. Additionally, the Commemorative Air Force did not have an adequate safety assessment and reporting mechanism, and regulatory oversight was deemed insufficient. The board has since made recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration, the International Council of Air Shows, and the Commemorative Air Force in hopes of preventing similar future tragedies.

Responding to the NTSB's findings, the Commemorative Air Force has pledged a commitment to reviewing the new information and recommendations. "The Commemorative Air Force will continue reviewing new information and recommendations and their impact on our operations," said a recent statement by the organization, as per CBS News Texas. "We remain committed to upholding our organization's highest safety standards and will keep our community informed as we move forward with this process," the organization said, signaling a path toward remediation. The organization also noted that this accident was its first in 17 years.