Jürgen Schumann

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Jürgen Schumann (born April 29, 1940 in Colditz , † October 16, 1977 in Aden , South Yemen ) was a German pilot . In 1977 he was the captain of the hijacked Lufthansa plane Landshut and was murdered by the PFLP terrorists.

Life

Schumann joined the Bundeswehr Air Force in 1960 and began his aviation career at Büchel Air Base , where he flew the F-104 Starfighter with JaboG 33 from 1965 . After retiring as captain in 1968 , he became a civilian pilot with Deutsche Lufthansa and as such was the captain of the Lufthansa plane "Landshut" that was hijacked on October 13, 1977 .

On October 16, 1977, during a stopover in Dubai , he was able to provide the authorities with information about the number of kidnappers of the "Landshut". Based on an interview with the Defense Minister of Dubai ( Muhammad ibn Raschid Al Maktum , Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates since January 4, 2006 and ruler of Dubai), the kidnappers also found out about it, whereupon the leader of the hostage-takers, Zohair Youssif Akache , the captain of the flight Gang kneeled down and threatened to shoot him in another incident.

After landing on October 16, 1977 at Aden Airport (then South Yemen ) on a strip of sand next to the runway (since the local government blocked all runways and the aircraft could not reach any other airport due to lack of fuel), Schumann left with the kidnappers' permission Airplane to control the landing gear. He also took the opportunity to speak in an airport building about the possibility of the hostages being released. He then voluntarily returned to the hijacked machine. On board he was yelled down by Akache in the center aisle of the aircraft and killed with a targeted shot in the head. Akache did not give Schumann the opportunity to explain the reasons for his absence.

Schumann left behind his wife and two sons.

Honors

Memorial stone in Jürgen Schumann Strasse in Babenhausen

The building of the Lufthansa Commercial Aviation School in Bremen bears his name in his honor. He was buried in his last place of residence in Babenhausen in Hesse. There a street was named after him and a memorial stone was erected. In Arnoldshain (Hochtaunuskreis) a primary school was named after the pilot.

Streets in the city of Landshut , whose name the Lufthansa plane bore, and at Berlin Brandenburg Airport are also named after Jürgen Schumann.

Jürgen Schumann was posthumously awarded the Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class by Federal President Walter Scheel . At Schumann's funeral service on October 21, 1977, the co-pilot of the “Landshut”, Jürgen Vietor , carried it on a pillow in front of the coffin. At this Federal Cross of Merit , three exceptions were made to the rule at the same time: firstly, the honoree had not yet reached the minimum age of 40, which is normally required, secondly, it was an initial award, in which normally no higher than the Cross of Merit on ribbon is awarded, and third, it was the posthumous time of the award itself.

Jürgen Schumann is listed as one of four role models by the Air Force - together with Ludger Hölker , Richard W. Higgins and Michael Giermeier .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael Hanfeld: The true hero of the "Landshut" , faz-net, December 1, 2007 (accessed March 5, 2012)
  2. ↑ Hans-Peter Bauer: Landshut street names - origin, meaning and history . Landshut 2002
  3. ↑ Berliner Morgenpost: Lufthansa threatens Berlin airports with damages
  4. ↑ Tagesschau from October 21, 1977
  5. ^ Heiner Möllers: Jürgen Schumann. Starfighter pilot of the Air Force and captain of Lufthansa. In: Role Models. Federal Ministry of Defense, November 25, 2013, archived from the original on June 14, 2015 ; accessed on March 24, 2020 (website on the history of the Air Force): "People who set an example with their actions."
personal data
SURNAME Schumann, Jürgen
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German pilot and captain of the Landshut, murdered by PFLP terrorists
DATE OF BIRTH April 29, 1940
PLACE OF BIRTH Colditz
DATE OF DEATH October 16, 1977
Place of death Aden , Yemen