2014 Olsberg mid-air collision

On 23 June 2014, a German Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet and a Learjet 35 business jet participating in a military exercise collided mid-air over Olsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The Learjet subsequently crashed to the ground with the loss of both crew members on board. The Typhoon was damaged but managed to land safely.

2014 Olsberg mid-air collision
The crash site of the Learjet
Accident
Date23 June 2014 (2014-06-23)
SummaryMid-air collision
SiteOlsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
51.279°N 8.448°E / 51.279; 8.448
Total fatalities2
Total survivors1
First aircraft

30+91, the Typhoon involved in the collision, photographed in April 2013
TypeEurofighter Typhoon
Operator German Air Force
Registration30+91
Flight originNörvenich Air Base, Germany
DestinationNörvenich Air Base
Occupants1
Crew1
Survivors1
Second aircraft

D-CGFI, the Learjet involved in the collision, 2008
TypeLearjet 35A
OperatorGFD Gesellschaft Fur Flugzieldarstellung
RegistrationD-CGFI
Flight originHohn Air Base, Germany
DestinationHohn Air Base
Occupants2
Crew2
Fatalities2
Survivors0

Collision

The accident happened at 14:38 CEST (12:38 UTC).[BFU 1][1] Two Eurofighter Typhoons were on exercise with the Learjet in the Elpe-Olsberg[2] area. The Learjet was simulating a civilian airliner that had been hijacked and had broken off radio contact with Air Traffic Control, while the Typhoons were simulating a military response to such a scenario.[3][BFU 2][4][5] The lead Typhoon intercepted the Learjet, and as the latter turned to follow it, the two aircraft collided.[6][BFU 3]

The Learjet crashed about 100 metres (110 yd) from houses in Olsberg, killing both crew members.[BFU 4][1][7][8][2] The Typhoon aircraft was severely damaged, but was able to land safely at Nörvenich Air Base, near Cologne. The second Typhoon landed at Cologne Bonn Airport.

Aircraft

The first aircraft was a Eurofighter Typhoon, msn GS0070. The aircraft was built in 2012.[BFU 5] It was operated by Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 31 "Boelcke", Luftwaffe. It was based at Nörvenich Air Base.[1]

The second aircraft was a Learjet 35A, registered D-CGFI, msn 35A-612, which had first flown in 1986.[BFU 6][2] It was operated by the GFD Gesellschaft für Flugzieldarstellung, a subsidiary company of Airbus Defence and Space,[3] and was based at Hohn Air Base.[2]

Investigations

Investigations into the accident were carried out by the General Flugsicherheit der Bundeswehr and the Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchung (BFU).[1] The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder of the Learjet were recovered on the day of the accident, from a site 3 kilometres (2 mi) from the crash site of the aircraft.[9][10] The data from these devices were published in the BFU's interim report in September.[BFU 7][9] The BFU's final report into the accident was published in August 2015. It stated that the causes of the accident were:

  • Immediate Causes:
    • During positioning for the interception, the collision risk due to unexpected manoeuvres of the intercepted airplane was not sufficiently taken into consideration.
    • The Learjet crew did not take into account the risks due to possible limitations of the field of vision and the distraction of using the computer when deciding their task distribution. Due to insufficient situational awareness during the intervention, the Learjet crew continued the turn with an excessive bank angle despite the loss of visual contact with the Eurofighter flying at the inside of the turn.
  • Systemic Causes:
    • The operator had not specified in detail how the crew should distribute their tasks during Renegade exercises.
    • Neither the operator commissioned to conduct the aerial target demonstration nor the Air Force had sufficiently described the Renegade training nor had a commensurate risk analysis been done.

References
  1. "Absturz bei Anti-Terror-Übung der Bundeswehr" [Crash during anti-terror exercise with the Bundeswehr] (in German). Bild. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  2. "D-CGFI Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  3. "Toter nach Absturz bei Luftwaffen Übung in NRW" [Deaths through collision at Air Force exercise in NRW]. Die Welt (in German). 23 June 2014. Archived from the original on 24 June 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  4. "Page not found – Kantipur Video". kantipurvideos.info. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  5. Plane crash in Germany: Learjet and Eurofighter typhoon collides, killing one on board. YouTube. 24 June 2014.
  6. "Mysterious plane crash: German military jet collides with civilian plane in routine exercise, killing one". Us.tomonews.net. NextMidia. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  7. "German fighter and Learjet collide – one confirmed dead". BBC News Online. BBC. 23 June 2014. Archived from the original on 23 June 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  8. "Flugzeugabsturz im Sauerland:Staatsanwaltschaft ermittelt wegen fahrlässiger Tötung" [Plane crash in Saarland: Prosecutor investigating pilot for manslaughter]. Der Spiegel (in German). 24 June 2014. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  9. "Insassen des abgestürzten Learjets vermutlich tot" [Occupants of the crashed Learjet presumed dead]. Die Welt (in German). 24 June 2014. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  10. "Eurofighter rammt bei Bundeswehr-Übung Learjet vom Himmel (2 Tote)" [Eurofighter rams Learjet on Bundeswehr exercise in mid-air (2 dead)] (in German). Bild. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.

BFU

Interim Report (PDF). September 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2015. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

Final Report (PDF). August 2015. BFU 1X002-14. Retrieved 4 September 2015. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

  1. "History of the Flight" (interim report, page 4).
  2. "Planned Training Procedure" (interim report, page 13).
  3. "Flight data analysis" (final report, pages 44–45).
  4. "Wreckage and Impact Information" (interim report, page 9).
  5. "Aircraft Information" (interim report, page 8).
  6. "Aircraft Information" (interim report, page 7).
  7. "Flight Recorder" (interim report, page 9).
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