A civilian Learjet crashed at Hohn Air Force Base in Schleswig-Holstein on Monday. Two people died, as a spokesman for Airbus confirmed.
The machine of the subsidiary GFD (company for flight target display) fell on the ground at 12.45 p.m. inside the air force base.
The plane crashed during takeoff
The twin-engine Learjet was to start from Hohn for a training mission with air traffic controllers from the German Air Force in northern Germany. Experts from the Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation traveled from Braunschweig immediately. They should start their examinations in the afternoon.
According to a spokesman for the Neumünster police department, the machine lost altitude during the start phase and hit the side of the runway and crashed. The airport fire brigade was on site quickly, but could no longer help the occupants, he said. Both fatalities are therefore male. The spokesman could not provide any further information about age or origin.
The wreck was on a mound of earth at the end of the runway, as a dpa photo reporter reported. The tailplane of the Learjet and one engine could be seen under the debris; the turf on the mound was badly burned. Parts of the burnt-out wreck were covered with tarps. A drone circled over the crash site in the early evening, apparently to take aerial photos of the accident site.
The causes are being investigated
The Airbus company expressed its deepest condolences to the families affected by this tragic accident. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) reacted with dismay on the sidelines of the handover appeal by the Territorial Command in Berlin. “Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the two who died. You have our heartfelt condolences in these difficult hours. What caused the terrible accident and the death of two people is now the subject of the investigation.
Air transport squadron 63 of the Luftwaffe was stationed in Hohn near Rendsburg for a long time. Transall machines took off from the airfield for many international missions. At the end of 2021, the squadron was disbanded. The airfield will continue to be operated by the Luftwaffe as an alternative airfield.
According to information on its website, the GFD has Learjets of the types LR-35A and LR-36A. The aircraft can be used for flight target display with and without towed targets. Flight target representations are required so that Bundeswehr units can practice sea or land-based air defense with guided missiles and barrel weapons. (dpa)
