Crash of a Learjet 35 in the Sauerland
| Crash of a Learjet 35 in the Sauerland | |
|---|---|
 The Learjet 35 with registration D-CGFI in June 2008 |
|
| Accident summary | |
| Accident type | Airplane collision in the air |
| place | Elpe , North Rhine-Westphalia |
| date | June 23, 2014 |
| Fatalities | 2 |
| Injured | 0 |
| 1. Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Gates Learjet 35 |
| operator | Society for flight targeting |
| Mark | D-CGFI |
| Departure airport |
 Hohn Air Base
|
| Destination airport | Hohn Air Base |
| crew | 2 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| 2. Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Eurofighter Typhoon |
| operator | air force |
| Departure airport |
Nörvenich Air Base
|
| Destination airport | Nörvenich Air Base |
| crew | 1 |
| Survivors | 1 |
| Lists of aviation accidents | |
The crash of a Learjet 35 in the Sauerland occurred on June 23, 2014 near the town of Elpe in the Hochsauerland district in North Rhine-Westphalia . Here collided a 35 Learjet of the Society for aerial target from Hohn Air Base in Rendsburg in Schleswig-Holstein with a Euro Fighter Typhoon of the Tactical Air Force Squadron 31 from Nörvenich . The two occupants of the Learjet were killed in the plane crash.
procedure
Flight history
The flights of the two aircraft took place as part of an interception exercise .
At 13:04, the Learjet 35 A took off from runway 26 at Hohn airfield. During a curve in a southerly direction, the aircraft climbed to flight level 350 (approx. 10,700 m). After 15 minutes, the Learjet went into descent and reached an altitude of 1500 m at 13:56. At 14:19:45 h the crew received the instruction to climb to 8000 ft (approx. 2450 m), whereupon the Learjet began to climb. About a minute later it was reported that two Eurofighters were taking off from Nörvenich. At 2:22 p.m. the Learjet reached an altitude of 8000 ft. Guided by the fighter control officer, the two Eurofighters first flew in an easterly direction. Following the officer's request, the pilots reported to the Eurofighter at 14:26:31 that they had visual contact with the Learjet. At this point in time, the Eurofighters were flying at 3300 ft (approx. 1000 m) and had a distance of approx. 6 NM .
The fighter control officer then gave the Eurofighter pilots clearance to climb to the level of the Learjet and instructed them to turn left. At 2:27 p.m. the crew of the Learjet was informed that the pilots of the Eurofighter had reported visual contact. At 2:28 p.m. the first Eurofighter announced that it had approached the Learjet from behind, while the second was flying at a distance of 2 NM and 1000 ft (approx. 300 m) lower. At 14:29:14 the pilot began to describe the features of the Learjet. At 14:29:21, the navigating pilot told the steering co-pilot that he had seen a Eurofighter from the left and that the speed should be increased to 250 kt , which then happened. At 14:34:10 the fighter control officer instructed the crew of the Learjet to follow the Eurofighter and the pilot of the Eurofighter to check whether the Learjet would follow the Eurofighter in a south-westerly direction (obey check). According to the Bundeswehr pilot, the Eurofighter then flew slightly higher and from the left in front of the Learjet. At 14:35:04 h the Eurofighter pilot reported that the Learjet would not follow, at 14:35:30 the crew of the Learjet radioed that they would fly for another three minutes and then follow. From 14:37:25 the pilot of the Eurofighter began to call the Learjet on a set frequency, whereupon the pilot of the Learjet told his co-pilot that if the Eurofighter waved again (roll around the longitudinal axis ) the Eurofighter would follow it. At 14:38:00 the pilot of the Eurofighter was instructed to repeat the obey check, whereupon the pilot raised his aircraft again slightly and placed it from the left in front of the Learjet.
Shortly afterwards the fighter control officer gave the pilots the instruction to follow the Eurofighter. At 14:38:16 h the Eurofighter began to turn left, in which it reached a bank angle of 20 ° after two seconds and a bank angle of 27 ° after a further two seconds. At 14:38:13, the crew of the Learjet switched off the autopilot and also made a left turn, with the bank angle varying between 3 ° and 5 °. At 14:38:18, the copilot gave control to the pilot and the aircraft's performance was increased from 73% to 88%, while the bank angle increased to 13 °. At 14:38:22 the pilot of the Eurofighter reported that the Learjet would now follow him. Between 14:38:23 and 14:38:26, the engine power was reduced to 80% and the copilot asked the pilot to take over the computer. At this point in time, the Learjet had already reached a bank angle of 52 °.
collision
 
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Aircraft take-off airfields and crash site |
At 14:38:28 h the Learjet 35 A collided with the Eurofighter. At this time, the flight data recorders recorded a heading of 358 ° and a bank angle of 46 ° for the Learjet and a heading of 001 ° and a bank angle of 26 ° for the Eurofighter. The front upper fuselage of the Learjet rammed the launch rail of the outboard wing station under the right wing of the Eurofighter, then its right outer tank (which was thereby separated), its right engine crushed the fuselage of the Eurofighter on the right rear and damaged the right engine of the Eurofighter, that it had to switch off for an emergency landing in Nörvenich.
At 14:38:48 the pilot of the Eurofighter radioed several May days . The Learjet was destroyed and caught fire. The main wreck hit the supine position near the town of Elpe, 100 m away there were buildings. Both pilots died in the impact. Individual other parts such as the fairing of the right engine, the emergency exit door, a longer piece of the interior lining of the cabin and the pilots' backpacks hit the ground on a line three kilometers in length in front of the main wreckage.
The Eurofighter involved in the collision landed on runway 07 in Nörvenich at around 14:58. The second Eurofighter, which flew behind the two collided aircraft during the interception exercise, made an alternative landing at Cologne-Bonn Airport.
DNA test, victim
The body parts found at the crash site were examined in forensic medicine in Münster . The examination of the DNA revealed that the bodies of both pilots of the Learjet were at the crash site. The two fatalities were former pilots of the German Air Force. The investigation report indicates that pilots of a civil aircraft, as it should be portrayed, would not have flown into such a steep bank. On the other hand, the pilots would have had to observe the procedures used in formation flight in the Air Force and would have had to break off the turn if they lost visual contact.
Preliminary investigation
The prosecutor's office conducted routinely proceedings for passenger Learjet against both Euro Fighter pilots because of the death of the two involuntary manslaughter ( § 222 of the Criminal Code ) a.
Aircraft
In addition to the Eurofighter, a Learjet 35, serial number 35A-612, built in 1985 was involved in the accident.
In May 2015, the damaged Eurofighter hit the headlines when it was transported to the Airbus site near Manching as a large-capacity vehicle for repairs on the A 2 and A 9 motorways . Even in three-lane motorway areas, the transport was not allowed to be overtaken because of its load width of eleven meters. In addition, the convoy only drove 50 to 60 km / h.
causes
The exact causes of the accident were investigated by the Federal Office for Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) with the assistance of the General Aviation Safety in the Bundeswehr. On August 18, 2015, they released the final accident investigation report. They came to the conclusion that the accident was caused by inattention by the pilots of the Learjet and by neglect in planning. The inaccurate distribution of tasks by the Learjet crew and the inadequate discussion and risk analysis of the Renegade exercise were named as contributing factors .
memorial
Above the point of impact of the main part of the Learjet, a temporary memorial was set up by relatives of the pilots shortly after the crash. A cross was screwed to the guardrail there. The pictures of the killed aircraft occupants are attached to the cross. Several private texts are on the cross. On the anniversary of the crash, a memorial cross of the Elpe village community was blessed by the local pastor in 2015. The memorial cross bears the inscription "In memory of the victims of the plane crash on June 23, 2014". An enamel sign with a memorial plaque and photos of the two crashed pilots was attached to the memorial cross.
Web links
- BFU interim report in June 2014 Bulletin, from page 30 (PDF, 5.14 MB)
- Final report of the BFU of August 18, 2015 (PDF, 4.9 MB)
Individual evidence
- ^ Accident description (preliminary). Aviation Safety Network , June 23, 2014, accessed June 28, 2014 .
- ↑ Thomas Wiegold : Eurofighter collides with target aircraft during interception exercise, Learjet crashed (new version). In: eyes straight ahead! (Blog). June 23, 2014, accessed on June 27, 2014 : “During an air force interception exercise over the Sauerland, a Learjet crashed on (today) Monday after it collided with a Eurofighter. The civil aircraft of the Gesellschaft für Flugzieldarstellung (GFD) crashed after the collision over an uninhabited area near Olsberg, presumably a pilot and a passenger were on board. According to the Bundeswehr, the damaged fighter jet landed safely on the Nörvenich base, the base of the Tactical Air Force Wing 31 Boelcke. The pilot was unharmed. "
- ↑ a b c Press and Information Center of the Air Force (PIZLw): Aircraft accident with Eurofighter and Learjet. June 24, 2014, accessed July 5, 2014 .
- ↑ Plane crash in the Sauerland: Last doubts about the death of the Learjet pilots dispelled. In: Spiegel-Online. July 2, 2014, accessed July 4, 2014 .
- ↑ a b c d e investigation report accessed on August 18, 2015 (PDF, 4.9 MB)
- ^ A b Matthias Gebauer: Crash during interception maneuvers: Fatal left turn of the Learjet pilot. In: Spiegel Online. June 25, 2014, accessed on June 23, 2014 : "In the crash, the" Eurofighter "was also badly damaged, lost an outer tank, but was still able to fly on and land safely. [...] Despite the very clear evidence, the judiciary routinely initiated proceedings against the two pilots of the "Eurofighter" for negligent manslaughter. [...] The maneuver is one of the standards in pilot training: One of the fighter jets flies next to the civil aircraft, signals it with wing movements, then comes closer and directs the jet to the next airport. "
- ↑ DNA confirmed: Both pilots dead , Westfalenpost from July 3, 2014, p. 3.
- ^ Aircraft Accident Learjet 35A D-CGFI Olsberg-Elpe . In: Aviation Safety Network, accessed June 29, 2014.
- ↑ Eurofighter on the Autobahn. Retrieved May 28, 2015 .
- ↑ Investigation into the aircraft accident near Olsberg in the Sauerland . In: Federal Office for Aircraft Accident Investigation, accessed on June 27, 2014 (press release): “Accidents involving civil and military aircraft are investigated by the civilian Federal Aircraft Accident Investigation Office. The General Aviation Safety of the Bundeswehr is involved in the investigation. "
- ↑ Elpe got away with the horror - one year after the derwesten.de crash on June 23, 2015, accessed on July 26, 2015
Coordinates: 51 ° 16 ′ 43 " N , 8 ° 26 ′ 51" E