Cologne

The crew departed Cologne-Bonn Airport on a training flight (check flight) to Nuremberg. During the takeoff roll, at or near V2 speed, the aircraft deviated to the left and veered off runway. It rolled beside the runway for about 600 metres then returned on the runway. It took off but overturned and crashed upside down, bursting into flames. All four occupants were killed.

Hawker Siddeley HS-121 Trident 3B operated by British Airways as flight BE476 and a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32, operated by Inex-Adria Aviopromet, were destroyed when both aircraft crashed near Vrobec following a mid-air collision. All 176 on board both aircraft were killed. The Trident was on a scheduled flight from London-Heathrow Airport in England to Istanbul-Yesilköy Airport in Turkey, carrying 54 passengers and a crew of 9. The aircraft took off at 08:32 GMT and the flight proceeded normally. First contact with the Zagreb Area Control Centre was established on the Upper Sector frequency 134,45 MHz at 10:04 GMT. The flight was requested to report passing the Zagreb VOR at flight level 330. The aircraft flew along the centreline of airway UB5 with slight side deviation 1-2 km to the right due to wind. At 2 minutes and 50 seconds before the collision, the aircraft changed heading to 115° to head back towards the airway centreline. Airspeed was 295 Kts. The DC-9 departed Split Airport at 09:48 GMT to fly 108 West German tourists back to Cologne. Flight JP550 was issued instructions to climb to FL180. At 09:54 the flight, on passing flight level 130, switched to the Zagreb Area Control Centre lower sector east frequency of 124.6 MHz, receiving clearance to climb to FL240 and later to FL260. At 10:03 the crew switched to the frequency of the middle sector controller, responsible for safety and regulation of traffic between flight levels 250 and 310. This controller cleared to flight to FL350. The aircraft assumed a heading of 353° and a speed of 273 Kts as it passed a beam and to the west of the KOS NDB, approximately 2-3 km from the airway centreline. While heading towards the Zagreb VOR, the flight crew radioed the Upper Sector controller on frequency 134,45 MHz at 10:14:04 GMT and reported that they were climbing through FL325. The controller then requested, in Serbo-Croatian, flight JP550 to maintain their present altitude and report passing the Zagreb VOR. The controller stated that an aircraft was in front passing from left to right at FL335, while in fact BE476 was at FL330. At 10:14:38 the crew replied, also in Serbo-Croatian, that they where maintaining FL330. Three seconds later both aircraft collided. The outer five meters of the DC-9's left wing cut through the Trident's cockpit. Due to the sudden decompression, the forward part of the Trident's fuselage disintegrated. The remaining part of the fuselage struck the ground tail-first. With it's left wing torn off, the DC-9 tumbled down and hit the ground right-wing first.

The JetStar was executing a visual approach to Bremen following an IFR ferry flight from Cologne Airport (CGN). At the same time a Piaggio P.149D trainer aircraft of the Lufthansa Flying School took off from Bremen. The student pilot was flying under the 'hood' in order to simulate an IFR training mission. The JetStar collided head on with a Piaggio P.149D. The Piaggio crashed but the JetStar managed to carry out an emergency landing at Bremen. The JetStar had suffered substantial damage to the underside of the flight deck. The undercarriage could not be deployed and one of the engines had lost power. A belly landing was carried out on the grass next to the runway.

While cruising over the Swiss Alps at an altitude of 14,000 feet, the crew encountered poor weather and icing conditions. He requested the permission to reduce his altitude when ATC advised the crew to divert to Zurich for a safe landing. This was the last radio transmission. Shortly later, the twin engine aircraft struck the southwestern slope of Mt Oberalpstock (3,328 m high) located at the border between the cantons of Uri and Graubünden. The wreckage was later found about 300 meters below the summit and all six occupants have been killed. It is believed that the crew was probably diverting to Zurich Airport at the time of the accident as the airplane struck the southwestern slope of the mountain. Among the victims were both German speedboat champions Sigrud Knubben aged 23 and Rolf Friedrich Goetze aged 43.

On a flight from Cologne to Brussels, while cruising in poor weather conditions, the twin engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances on Mt Eifel near Lammersdorf. All four occupants were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Deblon,
Sgt Demeyer,
Ss/Lt Malcoye,
Ss/Lt Balbeur.

The crew left RAF Finningley at 2246LT on May 30 on a bombing mission to Cologne, Germany. While approaching its target at 13,500 feet, the aircraft was shot down by the German Flak. Fire spread from the right engine to the right wing. The crew decided to abandon the aircraft and bailed out. Without crew, the aircraft went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in a huge explosion. All six crew members were unhurt.
Crew (25th OTU):
P/O C. G. Hughes,
Sgt B. C. Whittle,
F/Sgt R. Baker,
F/Sgt R. V. C. Oliver,
Sgt F. G. Greensides,
F/Sgt L. R. Read.

The airplane departed RAF Marham at 2324LT on April 27 on an operation to Cologne. Over the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in the city. Four crew members were killed and a fourth became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt Leslie Godfrey Harris, pilot, †
Sgt Harry Taylor, observer, †
Sgt Francis Robert Edwin McCarthy, wireless operator, †
Sgt William Charles Garland, air gunner, †
Sgt Joseph Jerram, air gunner.

The airplane departed RAF Snaith at 2140LT on April 27 on an operation to Cologne. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in the city. All six crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O Valden Leonard Bailey, pilot,
Sgt Bernard John McGinn, pilot,
P/O Alfred Wilkinson, observer,
P/O Franklin Burton Grundy, wireless operator,
Sgt William George Marsh, wireless operator,
Sgt Ronald Marcus Sutton, air gunner.

The airplane departed RAF Driffield at 2212LT on April 12 on an operation to Essen. Over Cologne, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in the city center. All five crew members became PoW.
Crew:
P/O P. D. McMillan,
P/O W. H. J. Griffiths,
Sgt M. F. Mulvey,
Sgt S. F. G. Clayton,
Sgt V. D. McKernan.

The airplane departed RAF Binbrook at 2158LT on an operation to Essen. Passing over Cologne, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in the center of the city. All six crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O Harold Leslie Cook, pilot,
Sgt Rae Rees Frost, pilot,
F/Sgt Colin Alais Fletcher, observer,
Sgt Edwin Victor Pratt, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Findon Douglas Newton, wireless operator and air gunner,
F/Sgt William Tripp McEwan, air gunner.