Two crew members identified in Wings Over Dallas airshow mid-air collision

DALLAS, Texas (KTRK) -- Six people died after two military planes from WW2 crashed mid-air during the Wings Over Dallas Airshow on Saturday, and we are learning more about two crew members.

Both planes were stationed at the General Aviation Services in Conroe.

REPORT: Dallas air show crash: 6 killed in vintage plane collision, Texas officials say

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is handling the investigation, said there were five crew members aboard the Boeing B -17 Flying Fortress and one pilot on the Bell P-63 Kingcobra.

The vintage planes crashed before 1:30 p.m. on Saturday near Dallas Executive Airport.

As officials investigate what went wrong, many have turned to social media to pay tribute to the victims.

The Allied Pilots Association has identified two of the crew members as former APA members Len Root and Terry Barker.

According to Keller Mayor Armin Mizani, Barker was a former city councilman.

The mayor shared a post on social media saying, "I was fortunate to have him as a friend, and his guidance when it came to what was best for our residents never steered me wrong."

Barker was described as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and Army veteran who previously worked for American airlines."

The Ohio Wing Civil Air Patrol identified a third person killed as Major Curtis Rowe.

A statement from them said: "Cur's service in Ohio Wing Civil Air Patrol over three decades where he held every aircrew rating possible and earned his Command Pilot Rating. Curt touched the lives of thousands of his fellow civil Air Patrol Members."

Hank Coates, President, and CEO of the Commemorative Air Force, the company that put on the show, said the aircraft are flown by highly trained volunteers with years of experience and have to undergo a vetting process.

The NTSB is now focusing its investigation on what happened.

"This is the beginning of a long process and we will not jump to any conclusions," NTSB board member Michael Graham said.

According to Graham, investigators will look into operations, air traffic control, and aircraft performance.

Both planes did not have flight data records, known as black boxes, which Graham said is common but makes it difficult to determine the cause of crashes without them.

The NTSB noted videos and pictures from spectators will be crucial to their investigation.

Anyone with video or pictures is urged to send to witness@ntsb.gov.

According to the NTSB, a preliminary report is expected in four to six weeks, and a full investigation can last more than a year.

For updates on this story, follow Brooke Taylor on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.