The 1988 Remscheid A-10 crash occurred on December 8, 1988, when an A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jet of the United States Air Forces in Europe crashed into 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, six people were killed. Fifty others were injured, many of them seriously.
 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 / 51.18639°N 7.16056°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | A-10 Thunderbolt II |
| Operator | United States Air Force |
| Registration | 81-0957 |
| Flight origin | Nörvenich Air Base |
| Occupants | 1 |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 1 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 6 |
| Ground injuries | 50 |
The plane was engaged in a low-altitude flight exercise.[1] 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 on Stockder Strasse.[4]
Aftermath
editWhen 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. Despite this, 70 tons of top soil from the accident scene were 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 showed 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 U.S. Air Force and 25% by the West German government.
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "West Germany / United States Plane Crash NBC News broadcast". Vanderbilt Television News Archive. December 8, 1988. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012.
- ^ Westminster, Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons. "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 12 Dec 1988". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Major General Marke F. Gibson". USAF. August 2009.
- ^ Bittorf, Wilhelm [in German] (December 25, 1988). "Ich hab' meinen Flügelmann verloren" [I have lost my wingman]. Der Spiegel (in German).
- ^ Hindin, Rita; Brugge, Doug; Panikkar, Bindu (26 August 2005). "Teratogenicity of depleted uranium aerosols: A review from an epidemiological perspective". Environmental Health. 4 (1): 17. Bibcode:2005EnvHe...4...17H. doi:10.1186/1476-069X-4-17. PMC 1242351. PMID 16124873 – via www.ehjournal.net.
- ^ "1988 12 08 2000 hier und heute". [[:de:Hier und heute|]]. 2000 – via YouTube.
- ^ Markmeyer, B. (1989-10-13). "Remscheid-Absturz mit Folgen". Die Tageszeitung (in German). pp. 1–2. ISSN 0931-9085.
- ^ "Starb Kind wegen Uranverseuchung?". Der Spiegel. 2001-01-13. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
- ^ Christiansen, Frank (2008-12-08). "Flugzeugabsturz in Remscheid 1988: Der Schock sitzt immer noch tief". Westdeutsche Zeitung (in German).
Further reading
edit- Schmemann, Serge (December 9, 1988). "U.S. Plane Crashes into German City". The New York Times.