Dallas Plane Crash: Friend of Conroe pilot killed in airshow crash speaks out

CONROE, Texas - 63-year-old Craig Hutain of Conroe, Texas resident was a pilot who had been flying since he was 10 years old. He was also a pilot in the Air Force, and he even flew commercial for United Airlines.

"You see him smiling all the time," said Nathan Thompson, an aviation photographer. 

BACKGROUND: Two planes collide in mid-air crash at Dallas Executive Airport

Thompson has been an aviation photographer for nearly 3-decades; over the years he's gotten to know pilots who participate in air shows when he and Hutain became friends. 

When Thompson learned that Hutain was one of six men who died after a collision at the wings over Dallas airshow Saturday, he took the news hard. 

"I was devastated, I mean going to the airshows you know the routine, and you know the people and I was just devastated, I broke down and fell apart," Thompson said. 

INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY: Six killed in plane collision at Dallas Veteran's Day air show, NTSB details investigation

One of the aircraft involved was a B17 flying fortress, which operates with a flight crew of 5 people. The second was a P63 king cobra, which is a single-pilot aircraft. 

Thompson shared photos he took of the P63 World War II aircraft that Hutain sponsored and flew often. 

"He was very experienced and one of the best pilots I've ever seen. Accidents happen, I'm not going to speculate on what I think happened, I'll let the NTSB do their investigation, but again accidents do happen," Thompson said 

SUGGESTED: Six killed in air show crash at Dallas Executive Airport

The cause of that mid-air collision is under investigation, we can expect a preliminary report from the NTSB within 4 to 6 weeks.