2014 Olsberg mid-air collision

2014 Olsberg mid-air collision
Accident summary
Date 23 June 2014
Summary Mid-air collision
Site Olsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Total fatalities 2
Total survivors 1
First aircraft
Photograph of a Luftwaffe Eurofighter Typhoon

A Luftwaffe Eurofighter Typhoon.
Type Eurofighter Typhoon
Operator Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 31 "Boelcke", Luftwaffe
Registration 30+91
Flight origin Nörvenich Air Base, Germany
Destination Nörvenich Air Base
Crew 1
Survivors 1
Second aircraft

D-CGFI, the Learjet that crashed.
Type Learjet 35A
Operator GFD Gesellschaft Fur Flugzieldarstellung
Registration D-CGFI
Flight origin Hohn Air Base, Germany
Destination Hohn Air Base
Crew 2
Fatalities 2

On 23 June 2014, a mid-air collision occurred over Olsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, during an exercise simulating the interception of a civilian airliner that was out of radio contact. One of the aircraft consequently crashed; both occupants died. The other aircraft landed safely.

Aircraft

The first aircraft was a Eurofighter Typhoon, msn GS0070. The aircraft was built in 2012.[BFU 1] It was operated by Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 31 "Boelcke", Luftwaffe. It was based at Nörvenich Air Base.[1]

The second aircraft was a Learjet 35A, registered D-CGFI, msn 35A-612, which had first flown in 1986.[BFU 2][2] It was operated by the GFD Gesellschaft für Flugzieldarstellung, a subsidiary company of Airbus Defence and Space,[3] and was based at Hohn Air Base.[2]

Accident

Two Eurofighter Typhoons were on exercise with the Learjet in the Elpe-Olsberg[2] area. The Learjet was simulating a civil airliner that had been hijacked and had broken off radio contact with Air Traffic Control, while the Typhoons were simulating a military response to such a scenario.[3][BFU 3][4][5] The lead Typhoon intercepted the Learjet, and as the latter turned to follow it, the two aircraft collided.[6][BFU 4]

Aircraft parts were strewn over a wide area.

The Learjet consequently crashed about 100 metres (110 yd) from houses in Olsberg.[BFU 5][1][7][8][9] The accident happened at 14:38 CEST (12:38 UTC).[BFU 6][1] The Typhoon aircraft was severely damaged, but was able to land safely at Nörvenich Air Base, near Cologne. The second Typhoon landed at Cologne Bonn Airport. Both of the crew of the Learjet died in the crash.[2]

It was the first mid-air collision in German airspace in ten years.[9]

Investigations

Investigations into the accident were opened by the General Flugsicherheit der Bundeswehr and the Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchung (BFU).[1] In the late evening of 23 June,[10] the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder of the Learjet were recovered from a site 3 kilometres (2 mi) from the crash site of the aircraft.[11] The data from these devices were published in the BFU's interim report in September.[BFU 7][10] The BFU's final report into the accident was published in August 2015.

The pilots of the two Eurofighter Typhoons were being investigated by the public prosecutor's office on suspicion of causing death by negligence and might face charges of manslaughter.[9] A commander at the Tactical Air Force squadron reported that both of the jet pilots were very experienced and had frequently been involved in such exercises.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Absturz bei Anti-Terror-Übung der Bundeswehr" [Crash during anti-terror exercise with the Bundeswehr] (in German). Bild. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "D-CGFI Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Toter nach Absturz bei Luftwaffen Übung in NRW" [Deaths through collision at Air Force exercise in NRW] (in German). Die Welt. Archived from the original on 24 June 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  4. ↑ "Page not found - Kantipur Video". kantipurvideos.info.
  5. ↑ Plane crash in Germany: Learjet and Eurofighter typhoon collides, killing one on board. YouTube. 24 June 2014.
  6. ↑ "Mysterious plane crash: German military jet collides with civilian plane in routine exercise, killing one". Us.tomonews.net. NextMidia. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "Military jet collides with private jet in Germany". RT. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  8. ↑ "German fighter and Learjet collide – one confirmed dead". BBC News Online. BBC. Archived from the original on 23 June 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Flugzeugabsturz im Sauerland:Staatsanwaltschaft ermittelt wegen fahrlässiger Tötung" [Plane crash in Saarland: Prosecutor investigating pilot for manslaughter] (in German). Der Spiegel. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  10. 1 2 "Insassen des abgestürzten Learjets vermutlich tot" [Occupants of the crashed Learjet presumed dead] (in German). Die Welt. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  11. ↑ "Eurofighter rammt bei Bundeswehr-Übung Learjet vom Himmel (2 Tote)" [Eurofighter rams Learjet on Bundeswehr exercise in mid-air (2 dead)] (in German). Bild. Retrieved 24 June 2014.

BFU

Interim Report (PDF). Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchung (BFU). September 2014. Retrieved Jan 8, 2015. 

Final Report (PDF). Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchung (BFU). August 2015. BFU 1X002-14. Retrieved Sep 4, 2015. 

  1. ↑ "Aircraft Information" (interim report, page 8).
  2. ↑ "Aircraft Information" (interim report, page 7).
  3. ↑ "Planned Training Procedure" (interim report, page 13).
  4. ↑ "Flight data analysis" (final report, pages 44-45).
  5. ↑ "Wreckage and Impact Information" (interim report, page 9).
  6. ↑ "History of the Flight" (interim report, page 4).
  7. ↑ "Flight Recorder" (interim report, page 9).

External links

Coordinates: 51°16′43″N 8°26′51″E / 51.2786°N 8.4475°E / 51.2786; 8.4475

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/16/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.