The 1972 Königs Wusterhausen air disaster occurred on 14 August when Interflug Flight 450[1] Ilyushin Il-62 crashed shortly after take-off from Berlin-Schönefeld Airport in Schönefeld, East Germany, on a holiday charter flight to Burgas, Bulgaria.[2] The accident was caused by a fire in the aft cargo bay. All 156 passengers and crew died. To date, it is the deadliest aviation accident in Germany.[3][4]
The aircraft was a Soviet-built Ilyushin IL-62 aircraft, registered DM-SEA, powered by four Kuznetsov NK-8 engines. It first flew in April 1970, and up until the accident had acquired 3,520 flight-time hours.
The aircrew consisted of 51-year-old captain Heinz Pfaff, 35-year-old first officer Lothar Walther, 32-year-old flight engineer Ingolf Stein, and 38-year-old navigator Achim Flilenius. The flight crew members had 8,100, 6,041, 2,258, and 8,570 hours of experience, respectively.
Crash
Interflug flight IF450 left Berlin-Schönefeld Airport at 16:30 local time. Because of the summer holiday, the number of passengers – mainly tourists bound for the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast – almost reached the full capacity of the airliner. Takeoff proceeded normally, and the aircraft then headed southeast towards Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic.
At 16:43, thirteen minutes into the flight and 8,900 metres (29,200 ft) above the city of Cottbus, East Germany, the crew reported problems with the elevator; the aircraft was by this time approximately 10 degrees off its designated route. The flight requested a return to Schönefeld but did not think the situation critical enough for an immediate landing at the nearest airport. At 16:51, the crew carried out a fuel dump to decrease landing weight. Meanwhile, flight attendants reported smoke in the rear section of the cabin. With Berlin-Schönefeld Airport already in sight a few kilometres south, the flight issued a mayday at 16:59:25, indicating problems controlling the aircraft's altitude. At this time, the flight crew was likely unaware that the fire had been consuming portions of the rear of the aircraft. A few seconds later, the tail section, weakened by the fire, separated from the aircraft, causing it to enter an uncontrolled descent. Due to the forces of the dive, the rest of the aircraft broke up in mid-air, the debris landing in the town of Königs Wusterhausen, East Germany.[5]
Cause
Memorial at Wildau Cemetery
The pilot's last messages suggested that a fire in the rear of the aircraft was responsible for the accident. This part of the aircraft was not accessible from the cabin and had no smoke detectors, so the crew was unable to immediately grasp the severity of the situation. The fire was caused by a hot-air tube leak, through which air heated to some 300 °C (570 °F) escaped, damaging the insulation of electrical wires and the aircraft flight control system. After takeoff, the resulting short circuit caused 2,000 °C (3,600 °F) sparks, lighting a fire in Cargo Bay 4. The fire then spread until smoke reached the passenger cabin and the fuselage was weakened. Ultimately, the tail section failed in flight.
Memorial
At the Wildau Cemetery, close to Königs Wusterhausen, a memorial commemorates the victims whose names are written on a black stone marker.
^Denes, Spaeth, Benjamin, Andreas (13 August 2022). ""Mayday! Kurs 90 Grad, unmöglich Höhe zu halten."". Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg. Retrieved 14 August 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"156 Are Killed in Air Crash In a Suburb of East Berlin". The New York Times. Vol. 121, no. 41842. 15 August 1972.
^ [Stuttering howl]. Der Spiegel (in German). Spiegel-Verlag. 21 August 1972. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013.
^"East Germany Says Blast Led to Crash Fatal to 156". The New York Times. Vol. 121, no. 41843. 16 August 1972.
External links
Entry at aviation-safety.net
www.interflug.biz
Haine, Edgar A. (2000). Disaster in the air. Associated University Presses. p. 123. ISBN978-0-8453-4777-5.
August 26, 2023
1972, königs, wusterhausen, disaster, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, . This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources 1972 Konigs Wusterhausen air disaster news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations September 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message The 1972 Konigs Wusterhausen air disaster occurred on 14 August when Interflug Flight 450 1 Ilyushin Il 62 crashed shortly after take off from Berlin Schonefeld Airport in Schonefeld East Germany on a holiday charter flight to Burgas Bulgaria 2 The accident was caused by a fire in the aft cargo bay All 156 passengers and crew died To date it is the deadliest aviation accident in Germany 3 4 Interflug Flight 450Interflug Il 62 similar accident aircraftAccidentDate14 August 1972SummaryIn flight fire leading to structural failureSitenear Konigs Wusterhausen Bezirk Potsdam East Germany 52 18 23 N 13 41 19 E 52 30639 N 13 68861 E 52 30639 13 68861AircraftAircraft typeIlyushin Il 62OperatorInterflugIATA flight No IF450Call signINTERFLUG 450RegistrationDM SEAFlight originBerlin Schonefeld Airport Schonefeld East GermanyDestinationBurgas Airport Burgas BulgariaOccupants156Passengers148Crew8Fatalities156Survivors0 Contents 1 Aircraft and crew 2 Crash 3 Cause 4 Memorial 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksAircraft and crew EditThe aircraft was a Soviet built Ilyushin IL 62 aircraft registered DM SEA powered by four Kuznetsov NK 8 engines It first flew in April 1970 and up until the accident had acquired 3 520 flight time hours The aircrew consisted of 51 year old captain Heinz Pfaff 35 year old first officer Lothar Walther 32 year old flight engineer Ingolf Stein and 38 year old navigator Achim Flilenius The flight crew members had 8 100 6 041 2 258 and 8 570 hours of experience respectively Crash EditInterflug flight IF450 left Berlin Schonefeld Airport at 16 30 local time Because of the summer holiday the number of passengers mainly tourists bound for the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast almost reached the full capacity of the airliner Takeoff proceeded normally and the aircraft then headed southeast towards Czechoslovakia now the Czech Republic At 16 43 thirteen minutes into the flight and 8 900 metres 29 200 ft above the city of Cottbus East Germany the crew reported problems with the elevator the aircraft was by this time approximately 10 degrees off its designated route The flight requested a return to Schonefeld but did not think the situation critical enough for an immediate landing at the nearest airport At 16 51 the crew carried out a fuel dump to decrease landing weight Meanwhile flight attendants reported smoke in the rear section of the cabin With Berlin Schonefeld Airport already in sight a few kilometres south the flight issued a mayday at 16 59 25 indicating problems controlling the aircraft s altitude At this time the flight crew was likely unaware that the fire had been consuming portions of the rear of the aircraft A few seconds later the tail section weakened by the fire separated from the aircraft causing it to enter an uncontrolled descent Due to the forces of the dive the rest of the aircraft broke up in mid air the debris landing in the town of Konigs Wusterhausen East Germany 5 Cause Edit Memorial at Wildau CemeteryThe pilot s last messages suggested that a fire in the rear of the aircraft was responsible for the accident This part of the aircraft was not accessible from the cabin and had no smoke detectors so the crew was unable to immediately grasp the severity of the situation The fire was caused by a hot air tube leak through which air heated to some 300 C 570 F escaped damaging the insulation of electrical wires and the aircraft flight control system After takeoff the resulting short circuit caused 2 000 C 3 600 F sparks lighting a fire in Cargo Bay 4 The fire then spread until smoke reached the passenger cabin and the fuselage was weakened Ultimately the tail section failed in flight Memorial EditAt the Wildau Cemetery close to Konigs Wusterhausen a memorial commemorates the victims whose names are written on a black stone marker See also Edit East Germany portal Aviation portal 1970s portalLOT Polish Airlines Flight 5055 South African Airways Flight 295 Swissair Flight 111References Edit Denes Spaeth Benjamin Andreas 13 August 2022 Mayday Kurs 90 Grad unmoglich Hohe zu halten Rundfunk Berlin Brandenburg Retrieved 14 August 2022 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link 156 Are Killed in Air Crash In a Suburb of East Berlin The New York Times Vol 121 no 41842 15 August 1972 Stotterndes Geheul Stuttering howl Der Spiegel in German Spiegel Verlag 21 August 1972 Archived from the original on 5 November 2013 Ranter Harro Accident Description aviation safety net Aviation Safety Network Retrieved 18 May 2020 East Germany Says Blast Led to Crash Fatal to 156 The New York Times Vol 121 no 41843 16 August 1972 External links EditEntry at aviation safety net www interflug biz Haine Edgar A 2000 Disaster in the air Associated University Presses p 123 ISBN 978 0 8453 4777 5 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1972 Konigs Wusterhausen air disaster amp oldid 1170493006, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
