Cal Poly grad was one of 6 killed when WWII-era planes collided at Dallas air show
A Cal Poly graduate was among 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.
Craig Hutain, a 1982 aeronautical engineering alum from the Houston area, was the pilot of the the P-63, the Commemorative Air Force confirmed on Monday.
The five members of the B-17 flight crew were Terry Barker and Leonard “Len” Root, both of Keller; Dan Ragan; Curt Rowe, of Hilliard, Ohio; and Kevin “K5” Michels, of Austin.
“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.
Craig Hutain flew for United Airlines
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.
“From my behalf, it’s an honor and a privilege to fly this airplane,” Hutain said in a July video interview with Vintage Aviation News, while standing in front of the P-63F. “I’ve always been a pilot. I’ve been able to fly a J-3 with a pillow under my rear end and behind my back. It’s really a lifelong obsession for me.”
Hutain began flying with the Commemorative Air Force and Tora Tora Tora airshows, a reenactment of the invasion of Pearl Harbor, in 2009, according to the airshow website.
According to his biography on the Tora Tora Tora website, Hutain started flying with his father when he was 10 years old and first flew by himself at 17.
He became a flight instructor while in college. He graduated with a B.S. in aeronautical engineering from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo in 1982 and then started flying for airlines.
“The university is saddened to learn of the passing of alumnus Craig Hutain in the tragedy in Dallas over the weekend. Our thoughts are with his loved ones during this difficult time,” Cal Poly executive communications specialist Keegan Koberl said in a statement to The Tribune.
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, and instruments.
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.
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 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, The Tribune and The Associated Press.
This story was originally published November 14, 2022 at 12:35 PM with the headline "Cal Poly grad was one of 6 killed when WWII-era planes collided at Dallas air show."