Aircraft "wedged" into each other during aerobatics: both pilots dead - again in Gera
Created: 09/26/2022, 04:45 am
By: Kathrin Reikowski
The crash site with the debris of the two planes near Gera.
© Björn Walther/bw.pictures/dpa
Plane crash, again in Gera (Thuringia): Apparently, the planes of two pilots wedged into each other during training and fell to the ground.
Gera - It is the second fatal plane accident near the East Thuringian airfield on the outskirts of Gera within a few weeks: On Saturday evening, two pilots aged 42 and 73 died when they collided during an aerobatic flight and then crashed over a field.
According to
Bild.de
, the nearest settlement was only 150 meters from the scene of the accident, and residents observed the accident from their homes.
Just over a month ago, an ultralight aircraft crashed near the Gera-Leumnitz airfield.
The 64-year-old pilot was killed.
According to police reports at the time, the plane caught fire after the crash on Monday.
Airplane accident during aerobatics near Gera: the video apparently shows the last seconds of the practice flight
According to the police, no other people were injured.
The cause and exact course of the accident were still unclear on Sunday, however, specialists from the Federal Institute for Aircraft Accident Investigation and the Gera criminal police had taken over the investigation.
According to the airport manager Peter Künast, there was no official aerobatic competition or show event in Gera-Leumnitz on Saturday.
Gera-Leumnitz is a regular airfield and therefore open for take-off and landing of aircraft registered there.
The accident happened outside the airfield property.
According to their own statements, the police and fire brigade were in action with a large contingent on Saturday evening.
The area around the crash site was cordoned off over a large area.
Airplanes apparently wedge themselves in the air
Videos of the collision are circulating on Twitter.
During one scene, the two planes can be seen getting very close and then crashing to the ground together.
It gives the impression that the wings were previously wedged together.
Plane crash near Gera: Two pilots are killed when their planes apparently get caught in each other.
© Twitter/Green_grap (Screenshot)
Andreas Spaeth, aviation journalist and expert, confirmed this impression to
Bild.de
:
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“It looks like both pilots wanted to practice a common aerobatic maneuver with their planes.
Then, apparently, there was a collision.
Contrary to what was to be expected, no visible parts are broken off.
It's more like the two machines got stuck and became unable to maneuver and then crash inseparably linked together."
Andreas Spaeth, aviation journalist and expert
The flight accident expert Michael Kretschmer, on site with the investigation, also shared the assessment according to
Bild.de
: “When metal comes under high pressure, it deforms.
This deformation can be seen on the wing and indicates a massive collision.
A propeller also has damage that has already occurred in the air.” Accordingly, the weather is not a possible cause of the accident, the conditions were good.
(dpa/kat)
.