NTSB · Safety Recommendation
Safety Recommendation A-24-035
Recommendation
TO THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF AIR SHOWS, INC.: In collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration and other air show industry stakeholders develop standardized, unambiguous terms to help ensure that the directives that air bosses provide performers, such as those related to show lines, are clear and brief.
Safety Issue and Context
This report discusses the November 12, 2022, accident involving two historic, former military airplanes operated by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) that collided in flight during a performance in the CAF’s Wings Over Dallas air show. The pilot, copilot, flight engineer, and two scanners on board the Boeing B-17G and the pilot of the Bell P-63F were fatally injured, and both airplanes were destroyed. No injuries to persons on the ground were reported.
Safety issues identified in this report included the limited ability of the Boeing B-17G pilot and the Bell P-63F pilot to see and avoid each other’s airplane due, in part, to the inherent limitations of the see and-avoid concept for collision avoidance; the air boss’s ineffective aircraft deconfliction strategy for the accident performance; the lack of adequate air show safety oversight, risk assessments, and air boss oversight; air show safety culture issues; and the need for standardized terms for air show communications to ensure clarity and brevity.
As a result of this investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board makes four safety recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration, two safety recommendations to the International Council of Air Shows Inc., and one safety recommendation to the CAF.
Response History
December 8, 2025 · NTSB Correspondence · International Council of Air Shows
ICAS stated that it has developed a new air boss manual that is with the FAA for review and approval. We note that some of the topics addressed in the manual include applicable FAA regulations and guidance, the waiver process, safety briefings, site layouts, multi-aircraft operations, and communication and coordination. ICAS also reported it planned to publish a best practices document for air bosses with standardized terms for communicating with performers and information on performing safety risk assessments and daily debriefings. We are aware, however, that ICAS has instead included these best practices in its air boss manual and no longer intends to publish a separate document.
In June 2025, the FAA informed us that a joint FAA/industry team, which includes representatives from ICAS, had been established and meets regularly to discuss these safety recommendations and other safety-related issues at aviation events. The FAA reported that it anticipates approving the ICAS air boss manual after it has updated the FAA’s aviation event policy, which is expected to be completed in 2026.
We are encouraged to learn that ICAS is working with the FAA and industry to improve its policies, as recommended. Pending our review of the published ICAS air boss manual, the Board has voted to classify Safety Recommendations A-24-35 and -36 OPEN-- ACCEPTABLE RESPONSE.
March 12, 2025 · Recipient Response · International Council of Air Shows
-From Dan Hollowell, Vice President, Safety and Operations, International Council of Air Shows, Inc.: We acknowledge receipt of the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) Safety Recommendation A-24-35 and appreciate the Board’s commitment to improving air show safety. We recognize the critical importance of clear and standardized communication between air bosses and performers, particularly regarding directives related to show lines and flight operations.
In response to this recommendation, we are taking the following steps in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and key air show industry stakeholders:
1. Development of ICAS Air Boss Best Practices – ICAS is in the final stages of development of a set of best practices for air bosses. These best practices will focus on the importance of clarity, brevity and a standardized vocabulary for air bosses so that regardless of the air show or the air boss, air show performers will receive consistent, succinct directives. These best practices were discussed at length in the Air Boss Safety Standdown at the ICAS Convention in December 2024. This document will be completed by June 1, 2025, and will be shared with the entire air boss community and the NTSB when finalized.