Double-decker accident: tragedy in the fog over Euskirchen

Double-decker accident: tragedy in the fog over Euskirchen

A tragic flight accident caused excitement in North Rhine-Westphalia on Friday. A historic Boeing Stearman E75 Kaydet, a nozzle aircraft from the 1940s, led to a terrible incident when she collided with the wing of a wind turbine in the event of less than 100 meters in the fog. The accident occurred at Nettersheim in the Euskirchen district and ended with the death of a passenger and serious injuries to the alleged pilot.

The biplane was on a flight from Aachen to Speyer in Rhineland-Palatinate when the visibility obviously deteriorated. According to the regulations for the visual flight to which the pilot was subject to, he should have had a clear view of the ground. The rules state that pilots on such flights are not allowed to fly through clouds or fog in order to avoid potential dangers. However, it remains unclear why the pilot decided despite the poor visual conditions.

Investigations switched on

The Federal Office for Flight Accident Investigation (BFU) now has the task of clarifying the exact circumstances of the accident. It is examined whether the pilot has obtained sufficient weather advice before the flight and which factors led to the deciding to continue the risky journey. In bad weather conditions, he and the passenger might have been able to reverse in good time or end up at a suitable airfield, which could have potentially guarantee their security.

The elderly Boeing Steharman, which was built in 1949, served as a school plane in the USA for many years and had a joystick both in the front and in the rear cockpit. This enables the double -decker to be operated by a passenger who sits in the rear cockpit. The possibility that the pilot was oversteered by the extreme weather conditions and the confusion when flying is one aspect that the investigators have to examine thoroughly.

In the collision with the wind turbine, which is equipped with a flash function that contributes to better visibility, the passenger, who was expected to be in the front cockpit, was fatally injured. The pilot suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital. Understandably, a rescue helicopter could not be used due to the dense fog, which made the rescue measures even more difficult.

technological security measures

Although modern technologies such as GPS-based collision warning devices for small aircraft already exist, it remains unclear whether this equipment was installed on board the historical double-decker. Such devices could have displayed the position of the wind turbine on the navigation display, which could have prevented a collision. It also remains to be clarified why the aircraft flew at such a small height, which is particularly risky in fog conditions.

The Boeing had only flown from England to Germany on Wednesday and, like many historical aircraft, was brought up with a lot of care. This type of double -decker is generally not designed for flight in bad weather, which raises the question of whether security procedures and compliance with flight regulations were sufficient in this case.

Overall, the events related to this flight accident raise significant questions about security in air traffic, in particular with regard to dealing with changing weather conditions and the responsibility of the pilots to make safe decisions even in historical aircraft.