2010 Air Service Berlin Douglas C-47 crash
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D-CXXX, the aircraft involved
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| Accident summary | |
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| Date | 19 June 2010 |
| Summary | Under investigation |
| Site | Near Berlin Schönefeld Airport |
| Passengers | 25 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Injuries (non-fatal) | 7 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Survivors | 28 |
| Aircraft type | Douglas C-47 Skytrain |
| Aircraft name | Rosinenbomber |
| Operator | Air Service Berlin |
| Registration | D-CXXX |
| Flight origin | Berlin Schönefeld Airport |
| Destination | Berlin Schönefeld Airport |
On 19 June 2010, a vintage Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft crashed shortly after take-off from Berlin Schönefeld Airport to a sightseeing flight over Berlin, which was operated by Air Service Berlin, a provider of event flights. There were no fatalities, but seven out of the 28 passengers and crew were injured.
Contents
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a Douglas C-47 Skytrain (registered D-CXXX, serial number 16124/32872), a preserved Rosinenbomber (English: Raisin bomber).[1] It had been built in 1944 and was powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 engines.[2] It had participated in the 1947–49 Berlin Airlift, and because of the importance of this event for the city of Berlin it was acquired for sightseeing flights in 2000.[3] The aircraft was one of the last two to take off from Berlin Tempelhof Airport (one of the Airlift airports) when it was closed on 30 October 2008.[4]
Accident
Shortly after take-off at around 15:00 local time from Berlin Schönefeld Airport for a sightseeing flight over the city centre of Berlin,[2] the left engine failed and the aircraft was unable to gain height. The pilots went into a left turn and set down the aircraft into a field near the construction site for the new Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport.[1][5] There were three crew members and 25 passengers on board (among them Stefan Kaufmann, a member of Bundestag),[3] all of which were able to leave the aircraft unassisted.[6][7] Seven people were injured, four of them were taken to hospital.[8] Schönefeld Airport was closed for fifteen minutes while its emergency services attended the crash scene.[9] A fire that arose from spilled fuel was put out by the airport's firefighters.[10]
Aftermath
The C-47 aircraft suffered substantial damage to its tail and port wing.[6] Nevertheless, due to its historic significance (and because it was the signature airframe of the company), Air Service Berlin stated that it intended a complete repair and restoration. Donations towards the cost of the restoration had been received from across the world, including a symbolic 100 USD from Gail Halvorsen, the pilot who is attributed to having started the dropping of sweets for children from aircraft participating in the Berlin Airlift.[4][9]
References
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