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The 1988 Remscheid A-10 crash occurred on December 8, 1988, when an A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jet of the United States Air Force crashed onto a residential area in the city of Remscheid, West Germany. The aircraft crashed into the upper floor of an apartment complex. In addition to the pilot, five people were killed. Fifty others were injured, many of them seriously.

1988 Remscheid A-10 crash

1988 Remscheid A-10 crash site
Accident
Date	December 8, 1988
Summary	Crash during low-altitude flight
Site	Remscheid, West Germany 51°11′11″N 7°09′38″E
Aircraft
Aircraft type	A-10 Thunderbolt II
Operator	United States Air Force
Flight origin	Nörvenich Air Base
Passengers	0
Crew	1
Fatalities	6, including 5 on the ground
Injuries	50 (all on the ground)
Survivors	0

According to press reports[1] the plane was engaged in a low-altitude flight exercise. It belonged to a unit from Bentwaters Air Base but at the time of the accident was stationed at Nörvenich Air Base, a so-called Forward Operation Location (FOL).[2]

The flight leader, Captain Marke F. Gibson,[3] was leading his flight followed by his wingman, Captain Michael P. Foster. The cause of the accident was attributed to spatial disorientation, after both planes encountered difficult and adverse weather conditions for visual flying. Captain Gibson was able to maneuver his aircraft to safety, but Captain Foster's aircraft crashed into the houses in Stockder Strasse.[4]

Aftermath

When the number of cancer cases in the vicinity of the accident rose disproportionately in the years after, suspicion rose that the jet, contrary to US statements, may have been loaded with ammunition containing depleted uranium.[5][6] This was denied by the US military. However, 70 tons of top soil from the accident scene was removed and taken away to a depot (which also happens to be standard procedure for cleanup when a large amount of jet fuel is spilled on populated ground, such as in a plane crash).[7] Also, film material taken during the top-soil removal show radiation warning signs.[8] 120 residents and rescue workers reported skin diseases, diagnosed as (toxic) contact dermatitis.[9]

Damages accounted to approximately DM 13 million and were covered 75% by the US Air Force and 25% by the West German Government.

See also

• 1955 Altensteig mid-air collision
• 1959 Okinawa F-100 crash
• 1960 Munich C-131 crash
• 1964 Machida F-8 crash
• 1977 Yokohama F-4 crash
• Cavalese cable car disaster (1998)

References

External links

• The New York Times: U.S. Plane Crashes Into German City

На других языках

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[de] Flugzeugabsturz in Remscheid

Bei einem Flugzeugabsturz in Remscheid am 8. Dezember 1988 stürzte ein Kampfflugzeug der United States Air Force in ein Wohngebiet im Stadtteil Hasten der Stadt Remscheid. Das Flugzeug rammte ein Wohnhaus und zerschellte im Nachbarhaus. Dabei kamen neben dem Piloten sechs weitere Personen ums Leben, 50 Menschen wurden verletzt.

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- [en] 1988 Remscheid A-10 crash

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