On Monday, February 13, 2023, officials and members of the Air Base Preservation & Development Committee gathered for a special memorial dedication in remembrance of the crew members of the Commemorative Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress “Texas Raiders” who perished in a mid-air collision on November 12, 2022, at the Wings Over Dallas Airshow.
According to reports, on Saturday, November 12, 2022, the B-17 Flying Fortress and a P-63 King Cobra were involved in a mid-air collision in Dallas, Texas. Both aircraft and six crew members, Terry Baker, Craig Hutain, Kevin Michels, Dan Ragan, Leonard Root, and Curt Rowe, were killed when the P-63 crashed into the B-17. Michels, Ragan, Root, and Rowe were the B-17 crewmembers who visited Douglas during the Warbird Expo, on May 31, - June 2, 2022.
Dr. Carl McDonald opened the ceremony with a poem entitled “High Fight” written by Pilot Officer John G. Magee on September 3, 1941, an American who served with the Royal Canadian Air Force and who also lost his life in a mid-air collision. Prior to Mayor Tony Paulk unveiling the plaque, a few words about the mid-air collision and the B-17 crew visiting Douglas were offered by Ed Coleman, Air Base Committee Member.
“Though their time in Douglas was short, we will always remember the Texas Raiders and the members of the Commemorative Air Force Gulf Coast Wing,” said Ed Coleman, Air Base Preservation Committee Member. “Fair skies and tailwinds, they will be missed.”
The memorial plaque is located inside the Douglas Municipal Airport Terminal for all to see as they enter or exit onto the ramp where the B-17 was parked for the War Bird Expo.
