Region
Europe

Crash of a Beechcraft 65 King Air B90 near Königstein im Taunus: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jan 22, 1971 at 1522 LT
Type of aircraft:
Beechcraft 90 King Air
Operator:
Registration:
D-ILTU
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Executive/Corporate/Business
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Frankfurt - Fritzlar
MSN:
LJ-359
YOM:
1968
Location:
Königstein im Taunus
Hesse
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The twin engine aircraft departed Frankfurt-Main Airport at 1512LT on a flight to Fritzlar Airport, carrying four passengers and a crew of two. During initial climb, bound to the north, the crew encountered poor visibility due to fog. While climbing to an altitude of 2,000 feet, the twin engine airplane struck trees and crashed onto the slope of Mt Altkönig (798 meters high) located about 3,5 km north of Königstein im Taunus, some 20 km north of Frankfurt Airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all six occupants were killed, among them two pilots, one employee of the German construction company Heitkamp and three representatives of the city of Wattenscheid.
Crew:
Alfred Krummlauf, pilot,
Rolf Brennholt, pilot.
Passengers:
Erwin Topp, Mayor of the city of Wattenscheid,
Georg Schmitz, Director of the city of Wattenscheid,
Kurt Wille, Head of construction of the city of Wattenscheid,
Josef Peckelsen, authorized representative of the Heitkamp Company.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Nord 2501D Noratlas in Königsdorf: 5 killed

Date & Time: Nov 19, 1970 at 0935 LT
Type of aircraft:
Nord 2501 Noratlas
Operator:
Registration:
52+79
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Neubiberg - Kaufbeuren
MSN:
095
YOM:
1956
Location:
Königsdorf
Bavaria
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The crew departed Neubiberg AFB on a short flight to Kaufbeuren AFB located about 80 km southwest. While flying at low height, the airplane struck the top of a hill and crashed near Königsdorf, about 60 km east of Kaufbeuren Airfield. The aircraft was destroyed and all five crew members were killed.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.106 Comet 4C in Munich

Date & Time: Feb 9, 1970 at 2004 LT
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DH.106 Comet
Operator:
Registration:
SU-ALE
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Munich - Cairo
MSN:
6444
YOM:
1960
Location:
Munich-Riem
Bavaria
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
14
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Following a normal takeoff roll, the captain pull the control column and started the rotation. During initial climb, at a height of 30 feet, severe vibrations were encountered. The captain decided to land back onto the runway but the available distance was insufficient. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the airplane overran, lost its undercarriage and came to rest in flames in an open field. Fire was quickly extinguished and all 23 occupants were evacuated safely. Nevertheless, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Severe vibrations after liftoff caused by an excessive accumulation of ice on the wings. Inappropriate actions on part of the flying crew.

Crash of a De Havilland U-6A Beaver in Heidelberg: 3 killed

Date & Time: Apr 28, 1969
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Heidelberg – Grafenwöhr
Location:
Heidelberg
Baden-Württemberg
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from runway 08 at Heidelberg AFB, while climbing, the airplane struck tree tops and crashed in a wooded area located on the slope of Mt Königstuhl, about 5 km east of the airfield. Both pilots and a passenger were killed while two other passengers were injured.
Those killed were:
Cpt Ronald B. Barlow, pilot,
Cpt Claude R. Grover, copilot,
DAC John F. Irwin.

Crash of a Nord 2501D Noratlas at Erding AFB: 11 killed

Date & Time: Feb 12, 1969 at 1400 LT
Type of aircraft:
Nord 2501 Noratlas
Operator:
Registration:
52+57
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
City
Schedule:
Neubiberg – Erding – Cologne
MSN:
D066
YOM:
1955
Location:
Erding AFB
Bavaria
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
12
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
11
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Erding AFB, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with heavy snow falls and the captain decided to return. On final, the airplane stalled and crashed onto a house located one km short of runway. Ten crew members as well as a young girl aged 2 1/2 were killed. The captain and the navigator were the sole survivors. The pilot was reportedly later killed in the fatal crash of the Noratlas 52+79 near Königsdorf, November 19, 1970.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-30-DK in Husum: 4 killed

Date & Time: Feb 12, 1969
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
14+05
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Calibration
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Westerland – Husum
MSN:
16316/33064
YOM:
1945
Location:
Husum
Schleswig-Holstein
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
On final approach to Husum Airport, while completing a calibration flight from Westerland, the airplane stalled and crashed in a field located few hundred meters short of runway. All four crew members were killed.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-14P in Berlin

Date & Time: Oct 24, 1968
Type of aircraft:
Ilyushin II-14
Operator:
Registration:
DM-SAI
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Berlin - Berlin
MSN:
14 803 023
YOM:
1958
Location:
Berlin-Schönefeld
Berlin
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a local training flight at Berlin-Schönefeld Airport when an unidentified technical problems occurred in flight and forced the crew to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft crash landed and came to rest in flames. While all three crew members escaped uninjured, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Vickers 739A Viscount in Langenbruck: 48 killed

Date & Time: Aug 9, 1968 at 1304 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers Viscount
Operator:
Registration:
G-ATFN
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
London-Heathrow - Innsbruck
MSN:
394
YOM:
1958
Flight number:
EG802
Location:
Langenbruck
Bavaria
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
44
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
48
Aircraft flight hours:
18658
Circumstances:
While cruising at an altitude of 21,000 feet south of Ingolstadt, the pilot informed ATC that a fire erupted on board, declared an emergency and requested the permission to divert to Munich Airport. The crew immediately started an emergency descent when control was lost. The airplane entered a dive, partially disintegrated in the air and eventually crashed in flames on a highway. Debris were found in an open field and the main wreckage on the Munich - Nuremberg highway. The tail was found about three km from the main wreckage. Rescue teams were hampered in their mission and it was really difficult to reach the crash site as the highway was totally jammed by cars from people living on holidays. None of the 48 occupants survived the crash. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were considered as good despite broken clouds from 800 feet till 15,000 feet.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the main generator failed in flight, causing a major power failure and probably an electrical short-circuit. This caused several systems and onboard instruments to fail such as the gyrocompas. While cruising in poor visibility due to clouds, the crew was unable to maintain a proper attitude and the aircraft went out of control. During the descent, aerodynamic forces exceeded the certification of the tail and the wings that were torn off. Then, the aircraft impacted ground at a speed of 310 knots. The accident was unsurvivable. The exact cause of the generator failure could not be determined with certainty.

Crash of a Dornier DO.28A-1 in Hamburg

Date & Time: Jul 14, 1968
Type of aircraft:
Dornier DO.28A/B
Operator:
Registration:
D-IBEM
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Ferry
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Helgoland – Hamburg
MSN:
3036
Location:
Hamburg-Helmut-Schmidt (Fuhlsbüttel)
Hamburg
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
On touchdown at Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel Airport, the airplane went out of control and came to rest upside down. The pilot was uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
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