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''Texas Raiders'' was an American
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...
, a B-17G-95-DL built by Douglas Long Beach. In 1967, it was purchased by the
Commemorative Air Force The Commemorative Air Force (CAF), formerly known as the Confederate Air Force, is an American non-profit organization based in Dallas, Texas, that preserves and shows historical aircraft at Air show, airshows, primarily in the U.S. and Canada. ...
's Gulf Coast Wing "Texas Raiders" group, which maintained and flew the aircraft out of
Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport (formerly known as Lone Star Executive Airport and Montgomery County Airport) is a public-use airport in Conroe, Texas, United States, 37 miles (60 km) north of the central business district of Housto ...
in
Conroe, Texas Conroe is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Texas, Montgomery County, Texas, United States, about north of Houston. It is a principal city in the metropolitan area. As of 2024, the population was 114,581. Since 2007, t ...
. The aircraft was destroyed on November 12, 2022, by a
mid-air collision In aviation, a mid-air collision is an aviation accident, accident in which two or more aircraft come into unplanned contact during flight. The potential for a mid-air collision is increased by Aviation communication, miscommunication, mistrus ...
with a
P-63 Kingcobra The Bell P-63 Kingcobra is an American fighter aircraft that was developed by Bell Aircraft during World War II. Based on the preceding Bell P-39 Airacobra, the P-63's design incorporated suggestions from P-39 pilots and was superior to its pr ...
at an
air show An air show (or airshow, air fair, air tattoo) is a public event where aircraft are trade fair, exhibited. They often include aerobatics demonstrations, without which they are called "static air shows" with aircraft parked on the ground. The ...
at
Dallas Executive Airport Dallas Executive Airport , formerly Redbird Airport, is six miles (10 km) southwest of Downtown Dallas, in Dallas County, Texas, United States. The airport is used for general aviation and is a reliever airport for Dallas Love Field. In 20 ...
, Texas, that killed all five occupants and the P-63 pilot.


History of the aircraft


Early history

The plane was built in 1945 under license from
Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...
by
Douglas Aircraft Corporation The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace and defense company based in Southern California. Founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr., it merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas, where it operated as a di ...
at its plant in
Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
. One of the last 20 B-17s built by Douglas, it was delivered to the
U.S. Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
as B-17G-95-DL 44-83872 on July 12, 1945. On July 21, 1945, all 20 were transferred to the U.S. Navy to serve as PB-1W
patrol bomber A maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), also known as a patrol aircraft, maritime reconnaissance aircraft, maritime surveillance aircraft, or by the older American term patrol bomber, is a fixed-wing aircraft designed to operate for long durations over ...
s. 44-83872 was assigned the U.S. Navy
Bureau of Aeronautics The Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) was the U.S. Navy's material-support organization for naval aviation from 1921 to 1959. The bureau had "cognizance" (''i.e.'', responsibility) for the design, procurement, and support of naval aircraft and rela ...
Number (BuNo) 77235. The Navy used PB-1Ws as the original Airborne Warning and Command System or
AWACS The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an American airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by Boeing. E-3s are commonly known as AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System). Derived from the Boeing 707 airliner, it provides all-weathe ...
aircraft, as well as for
electronic countermeasures An electronic countermeasure (ECM) is an electrical or electronic device designed to countermeasure, trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems, like infrared (IR) or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny ...
,
anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations ar ...
and
hurricane hunters Hurricane hunters, typhoon hunters, or cyclone hunters are aircrews that fly into tropical cyclones to gather weather data. In the United States, the organizations that fly these missions are the United States Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather ...
. The Navy sealed up the bomb bay doors and installed wing-mounted drop tanks and the AN/APS-20 Seasearch
radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...
equipment in a bulbous housing below the former bomb bay.
Radio direction finder Direction finding (DF), radio direction finding (RDF), or radiogoniometry is the use of radio waves to determine the direction to a radio source. The source may be a cooperating radio transmitter or may be an inadvertent source, a natural ...
(RDF), instrument landing system (ILS), and long-range navigation (
LORAN LORAN (Long Range Navigation) was a hyperbolic navigation, hyperbolic radio navigation system developed in the United States during World War II. It was similar to the UK's Gee (navigation), Gee system but operated at lower frequencies in order ...
) were also installed at this time. The aircraft was left unpainted, but waxed to prevent corrosion, and kept its original
Browning M2 The M2 machine gun or Browning .50-caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed near the end of World War I by John Browning. While similar to Browning's M1919 Browning machine gun, which was chamber ...
machine guns. In January 1955, the PB-1W was phased out in favor of the new Lockheed PO-1W and WV-2 (naval versions of the
EC-121 Warning Star The Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star is an American airborne early warning and control radar surveillance aircraft operational in the 1950s in both the United States Navy (USN) and United States Air Force (USAF). The military version of the Lock ...
) based on the
Lockheed Constellation The Lockheed Constellation ("Connie") is a propeller-driven, four-engined airliner built by Lockheed Corporation starting in 1943. The Constellation series was the first civil airliner family to enter widespread use equipped with a pressurized cab ...
. BuNo 77235 was flown to
Litchfield Park, Arizona Litchfield Park is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is located west of Phoenix. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,847, up from 5,476 in 2010. History The town of Litchfield Park is a community out ...
, and placed in flyable storage status until officially retired from naval service on August 25, 1955, with 3,257 hours flying time. Aero Service Corporation bought BuNo 77235 for $17,510 ($ today) on October 1, 1957. Registered as N7227C, the plane flew aerial survey missions from Alaska to Central America to the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
. On January 12, 1965, it was used as a backdrop at the retirement ceremony of General
Curtis LeMay Curtis Emerson LeMay (November 15, 1906 – October 1, 1990) was a United States Air Force, US Air Force General (United States), general who was a key American military commander during the Cold War. He served as Chief of Staff of the United St ...
. Aero Service Corporation sold the plane on September 22, 1967.


Commemorative Air Force ownership

The
Commemorative Air Force The Commemorative Air Force (CAF), formerly known as the Confederate Air Force, is an American non-profit organization based in Dallas, Texas, that preserves and shows historical aircraft at Air show, airshows, primarily in the U.S. and Canada. ...
(CAF), known as the Confederate Air Force until 2001, acquired the plane in 1967 for $50,000 or $80,000; sources differ. The plane was kept in
Brownwood, Texas Brownwood is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, Texas, United States. The population was 18,862 as of th2020 census Brownwood is in the Texas Hill Country and is home to Howard Payne University, which was founded in 1889. History ...
, because CAF's home airfield in
Mercedes, Texas Mercedes is a U.S. city in Hidalgo County, Texas, Hidalgo County, Texas. The population was 15,570 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. It is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission metropolitan area, McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Re ...
, was too short for a B-17. A CAF photo taken around 1969 shows the plane painted white with a large U.S. flag on the tail. In July 1970, the plane was given its first historical paint job, that of the
366th Bombardment Squadron The 366th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was first activated in March 1942. After training with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers in the United States, the squadron deployed to the European Theater of O ...
of the
305th Bombardment Group 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...
, with
squadron code A squadron code is a marking used on a military aircraft to visually identify the Squadron (aviation), squadron that it is assigned to. Squadron codes of the World War II era, notably for Royal Air Force (RAF) and United States Army Air Forces (US ...
KY and call letter D on the
fuselage The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...
and tail number 124592, suggested by retired general LeMay. In 1974, the CAF assigned the plane to its three-year-old Gulf Coast Wing. The plane was named ''Texas Raiders'' around 1973 to honor Texas combat veterans; the name had not been used by any previous B-17. Over two decades, CAF worked to restore the plane to a B-17G configuration. Tradeoffs made in consideration of budget included disabling
turbocharger In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into th ...
s and the crew oxygen system. In 1977, the plane was repainted in the color scheme of the 533d Bombardment Squadron of the 381st Bombardment Group. The livery was inspired by a real B-17G plane, ''Princess Pat'' (42-97503), including squadron code VP with call letter X, but using the actual tail number of ''Texas Raiders''. At this time, a
ball turret A ball turret is a spherical-shaped, altazimuth mount Aircraft gun turret, gun turret, fitted to some American-built aircraft during World War II. The name arose from the turret's spherical housing. It was a manned turret, as distinct from remot ...
and top turret were added, although the interior was not yet restored. The plane was restored and rebuilt from 1983 to 1986 at a cost of $300,000 (). This included restoring the interior of the plane to a B-17G configuration including the addition of period-correct equipment such as a
Norden bombsight The Norden Mk. XV, known as the Norden M series in U.S. Army service, is a bombsight that was used by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and the United States Navy during World War II, and the United States Air Force in the Korean War, ...
,
M2 machine gun The M2 machine gun or Browning .50-caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed near the end of World War I by John Browning. While similar to Browning's M1919 Browning machine gun, which was chambered ...
s (non-functional),
bomb bay The bomb bay or weapons bay on some military aircraft is a compartment to carry bombs, usually in the aircraft's fuselage, with "bomb bay doors" which open at the bottom. The bomb bay doors are opened and the bombs are dropped when over the ...
racks, and a chin turret. During 1993 and 1994, the plane was repainted and corrosion repaired at a cost of about $180,000 (). The plane later underwent a lengthy and costly "
wing spar In a fixed-wing aircraft, the spar is often the main structural member of the wing, running spanwise at right angles (or thereabouts depending on wing sweep) to the fuselage. The spar carries flight loads and the weight of the wings while on ...
terminal ends" replacement project, started in 2001 due to an FAA Airworthiness Directive (2001-22-06) citing corrosion in B-17 wings. Originally estimated to be a six-month process, the project turned into an -year effort costing nearly $700,000 (). ''Texas Raiders'' returned to flight on October 14, 2009, and was featured at Wings Over Houston that month as a static display. In March 2010, the plane was moved to the Tomball Jet Center in
David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport is a public-use airport located near the city of Tomball in unincorporated Harris County, Texas. It is northwest of the central business district of Houston. It is the busiest general aviation airport in T ...
(KDWH) in
Tomball, Texas Tomball ( ) is a city in Harris County, Texas, Harris County in the U.S. state of Texas, a part of the Greater Houston, Houston metropolitan area. The population was 12,341 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census. In 1907, the community ...
. ''Texas Raiders'' rejoined the air show circuit in 2010, just in time to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the first flight of the B-17. It traveled to the
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (formerly the EAA Annual Convention and Fly-In), or just Oshkosh, is an annual air show and gathering of aviation enthusiasts held each summer at the Wittman Regional Airport and adjacent Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wiscon ...
airshow, where it was featured in AeroShell Square. That summer, the plane appeared at Thunder Over Michigan as one of eight restored B-17s, flying in formation with '' Yankee Lady'', movie '' Memphis Belle'', '' Nine-O-Nine'', '' Aluminum Overcast'', '' Liberty Belle'', '' Thunderbird'', and '' Sentimental Journey''. On May 8, 2015, ''Texas Raiders'' flew in the Arsenal of Democracy Flyover in Washington, D.C., an event that commemorated the 70th anniversary of
Victory in Europe Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...
(VE Day). The Gulf Coast Wing commissioned a complete new paint job and brand new nose art for ''Texas Raiders'' in late 2016, costing $190,000. The plane was moved in March 2017 to General Aviation Services at Conroe North Houston Regional Airport in
Conroe, Texas Conroe is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Texas, Montgomery County, Texas, United States, about north of Houston. It is a principal city in the metropolitan area. As of 2024, the population was 114,581. Since 2007, t ...
. Beginning in 2018, organizers worked with an Air Force parachute team to conduct demonstration skydives from the bomb bay during air shows.


Destruction

The aircraft crashed on November 12, 2022, after a mid-air collision with a
Bell P-63 Kingcobra The Bell P-63 Kingcobra is an American fighter aircraft that was developed by Bell Aircraft during World War II. Based on the preceding Bell P-39 Airacobra, the P-63's design incorporated suggestions from P-39 pilots and was superior to its pr ...
at Dallas Executive Airport while performing during an air show. The P-63 collided with the B-17's port side on a descending trajectory, severing the fuselage just aft of the main wings. The bomber then fell to the ground, destroying the remaining airframe. All six people aboard the two aircraft were killed. The cause of the accident was immediately placed under investigation.


Notes


References


External links


Commemorative Air Force – Gulf Coast Wing
{{Portal bar, Aviation, Texas Individual aircraft of World War II Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress