 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 |
| Flight origin | Nörvenich Air Base |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 6, including 5 on the ground |
| Injuries | 50 (all on the ground) |
| Survivors | 0 |
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 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, five people were killed. Fifty others were injured, many of them seriously.
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]
