1988 Remscheid A-10 crash

An A -10A " Thunderbolt II"

In a plane crash in Remscheid on December 8, 1988, a ground-attack aircraft of the United States Air Force type Fairchild -Republic A-10 crashed (serial number 81-0957 ) in a residential area in the district bustling city of Remscheid. The plane slammed into a house and crashed in the neighboring house. In addition to the pilot, Captain Michael P. Foster six other people were killed and 50 people were injured.

The A-10 Thunderbolt II of the 2nd Tactical Fighter Squadron ( 81st Tactical Fighter Wing ) was located according to media reports in a squadron exercise of the Fighter Bomber Wing 31 at low altitude. She belonged to a stationed on the British air base at Bentwaters Ipswich unit, but was at the time of the accident at the airbase Noervenich, a so-called Forward Operation Location ( FOL ), stationed. As a cause of the accident is considered " Spatial disorientation " of the pilot. On the day of the crash ruled adverse conditions for visual flight conditions. The pack leader Captain Gibson flew ahead. He was followed by Captain Foster in his A- tenth In Remscheid is the condensed fog. While Captain Gibson managed to herauszumanövrieren with a flight maneuver out of danger, rushed Captain Foster's machine into the homes of Stockder road.

Impact of the crash

It was initially believed that the crashed plane was loaded contrary to the statements of the Americans with depleted uranium. Another unconfirmed, guess was that the wingtips were fitted with trim weights of depleted uranium, which should have contaminated the soil around the crash site. In one study of soil samples within 250 yards of the crash site in 2002 by the Öko-Institut, however, no traces were found of depleted uranium.

An analysis of the leukemia cases in the following years in the vicinity of the crash site showed no significant increase.

The resulting loss of about 13 million DM was carried to 75 % of the U.S. Air Force and 25% of the Federal Republic of Germany.