A Cessna 550 crashed near Freilassing in 1996

A Cessna 550 crashed near Freilassing in 1996
A Cessna 550 similar to the aircraft involved in the accident
Accident summary
Accident type	crash
place	Near Freilassing , Germany
date	February 19, 1996
Fatalities	10
Survivors	0
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Cessna 550
operator	Alp-Air Luftfahrt Verwaltungs-GmbH, lessor: Private Wings
Mark	D-CASH
Departure airport	Berlin-Tempelhof Airport
Destination airport	Salzburg Airport
Passengers	8th
crew	2
Lists of aviation accidents

When a Cessna 550 crashed near Freilassing in the Upper Bavarian district of Berchtesgadener Land on February 19, 1996, ten people died. It is one of the outstanding accidents and criminal cases in Upper Bavaria. The business jet crashed while approaching the nearby Salzburg airport in Austria .

background

The flight was organized by a Berlin businessman with several previous convictions and an ongoing case of investment fraud and environmental offenses . The Cessna was manned by 7 other passengers next to him. According to the organizer, the trip was intended to call for DM 15 million in Salzburg to cover outstanding claims. Berlin insiders dubbed the company "Operation Klondike ". Two passengers changed shortly before departure. Contrary to what the passengers announced, no return flight was booked. Among the passengers were a former career judge from the GDR and a former people's police officer who was due to appear on a talk show shortly . This led to speculation that former Stasi people would be behind the crash. Other scenarios assumed the murder of creditors. Cross-connections to acts of sabotage on aircraft at Tempelhof Airport were also established at times.

course

The Cessna 550 Citation II (built in 1987) started at 8:50 a.m. from Berlin-Tempelhof Airport and was on its way to Salzburg . At 9:50 a.m., the pilots made contact with the Salzburg control tower and received clearance for the ILS approach to runway 16 (now referred to as 15). 5.5 km from the runway, the Cessna 550 stalled , the minimum speed for the controllability of the aircraft was not reached and the Cessna tipped over the left wing. The pilots could not regain control, the aircraft crashed 150 meters from the German-Austrian border near Freilassing in a forest and was destroyed in the almost vertical impact on the ground and the subsequent fire.

All ten occupants (eight passengers, two crew members) died.

Cause of accident

The minimum approach speed was not reached, so that the lift collapsed. In addition, there was a failure in the power supply, which prevented the autopilot and the flight position indicator from working. At the time of the crash there was snowfall, it is assumed that icing was one of the reasons for the failures.

literature

• Airplane crashes, Operation Klondike, A bizarre German-German travel company died in the crash of a Cessna. In: Der Spiegel . No. 9 , 1996 ( online ).
• ulp / kzi / ls: All inmates recovered, attack possible, death flight to Salzburg raises many questions. In: Berliner Zeitung . February 21, 1996. Retrieved August 12, 2017 . 
• Margarete Raabe: The Cessna fell vertically into the forest. In: The world . February 20, 1996. Retrieved August 12, 2017 . 

Web links

• "Freilassing, Saalachau 02/17/1996, 10:04 am" Report from the Freilassing volunteer fire brigade. Retrieved August 12, 2017 . 
• Accident report on Aviation Safety. In: Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved July 12, 2014 . 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Outstanding accidents and criminal cases. In: Internet site of the police headquarters in Upper Bavaria North. Retrieved August 12, 2017 . 
2. ↑ Airplane crashes, Operation Klondike, A bizarre German-German travel company died in the crash of a Cessna. In: Der Spiegel . No. 9 , 1996 ( online ).
3. ↑ kt / weso: New dispute over security at Tempelhof Airport. In: Der Tagesspiegel . May 28, 1996. Retrieved August 13, 2017 . 
4. ↑ ^{a b} Accident report on Aviation Safety. In: Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved July 12, 2014 . 

Coordinates: 47 ° 49 '44.4 "  N , 12 ° 58' 58.8"  E