Plane crash in Duisburg: Report provides new details

Created: 01/12/2022 17:13

By: Mick Oberbusch

Parked cars were also damaged in the course of the plane crash at the Flic Flac site in Duisburg.

© Christoph Reichwein/dpa

On September 4, an ultralight aircraft crashed over the Flic Flac circus in Duisburg.

Now an interim report has revealed new details.

Duisburg – The performance at the Circus Flic Flac in Duisburg on September 4th was still running when drama unfolded in the air above the circus tent.

At around 3 p.m. near the circus site near the A59, an ultralight aircraft with two occupants crashed and crashed in a parking lot near the tent.

The machine bursts into flames, damaging eight parked cars belonging to circus visitors.

The pilot and his passenger died immediately. The Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) investigated this case for a long time - and has now published an interim report that brings new details to light.

This is reported by 24RHEIN.

Plane crash over circus Flic Flac – pilot and attendant wanted to take photos of the Duisburg stadium

Accordingly, the two aircraft occupants will meet on September 4th at the Dinslaken/Schwarze Heide airfield to take aerial photographs during a sightseeing flight together.

The plan: via the Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena, home ground of the third-division football team MSV Duisburg, after a few successful snapshots, it should go towards the circus grounds.

At around 2:30 p.m. the plane takes off from Dinslaken and in the direction of Duisburg.

Fatal accident over circus Flic Flac in Duisburg – details of the pilot

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The 54-year-old pilot had held an unlimited pilot's license for air sports equipment pilots since April 6, 2004 and held the passenger flight license and the license to teach aerodynamically controlled ultralight aircraft. 

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The operator of the microlight stated that the pilot was well acquainted with the machine and was a regular charter customer with him. 

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The operator estimated the pilot's type experience at over 2000 hours.

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At the time this interim report was published, the BFU did not have any information on the overall flight experience and medical fitness of the pilot. 

Plane crash in Duisburg: The pilot lost control around 50 meters above ground

"The video recordings available to the BFU show how the ultralight aircraft flew over the soccer stadium in Duisburg.

The height was estimated by witnesses to be less than 50 meters above ground," the BFU said in its interim report.

Another video shows how said aircraft first increased the pitch from a left turn in the area of ​​the local circus tent at low speed and then tilted over the left wing.

"During a curve at low altitude, the pilot lost control of the ultralight aircraft," the federal agency said.

After the plane crash at Circus Flic Flac in Duisburg: data on the ultralight aircraft

"Witnesses estimated the flight altitude during the left turn to be 30 m above ground," the BFU continued.

The moment witnesses see the machine at low altitude, it is already too late.

The microlight crashes into parked cars, catches fire and burns out completely.

The BFU went on to say that there was never any radar contact with the ultralight aircraft or radio contact.

Incidentally, in the tent of the Flic Flac circus itself, the people did not notice the tragedy.

The performance continued.

By the way: On the same day, the Cologne carnival enthusiast Peter Griesemann also had an accident.

He crashed his Cessna over the Baltic Sea.