Date & Time:
Apr 7, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Junkers JU.52
Operator:
Registration:
1Z+CL
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
MSN:
6245
YOM:
1939
Country:
Austria
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
4
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
11
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
15
Circumstances:
En route to Arad, Romania, with a group of 15 others JU.52 registered to the 'Willerding Gruppe', the crew encountered very bad weather conditions in the area of Vienna. In limited visibility due to fog and snow falls, the airplane impacted the slope of Mt Leitha (484 metres high) located about 35 km southeast of Vienna. The wreckage was found near Mannersdorf. All 15 occupants were killed. On the group of 16 airplanes, five crashed in the same area and 11 others landed in Arad around 1500LT.
Crew:
Fw Karl Merkle, pilot,
Uffz Hermann Hellmich, observer,
Uffz Willi Steinbach, radio operator,
Fw Kurt Schnabel, mechanic.
Crew:
Fw Karl Merkle, pilot,
Uffz Hermann Hellmich, observer,
Uffz Willi Steinbach, radio operator,
Fw Kurt Schnabel, mechanic.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain.
