European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 29, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 28 the stars and stripes monday August 29,1988 dozens killed in crash at air show from Page 1 meters More Down we would have been Jim Beichler a University of Mary land teacher said people next to him had said jokingly he s going to s not going to make then there was a silence Beichle said. The plane blew up and people started running. One Guy was on people were wrapped up in barbed wire. There were Small fires All around farther away there was shocked silence throughout the crowd then cry ing. Shortly after the crash the sound of sirens filled the air. Air Force buses and anything with wheels we repressed into service As ambulances. Emergency first Aid was administered in the area. Helicopters carried the More seriously injured to the near by Lan Stuhl army regional medical Center. It s a mess Here Marie Shaw said. We be got germans coming Here americans going to German hospitals planes flying in and my son was out there. I Don t know How Many people were Hurt but it s a a morgue was set up at the Ramstein Southside clinic while injured also were taken to the gym Atlan Stuhl and German hospitals throughout the Kaiserslautern area. Authorities put out an Appeal for blood donors and within the first hours More than 600 people had arrived. Air Force officials opened an information Center at the Falcon Thea Ter to help people locate missing family members. About 75 people Many looking tired and worried quietly waited for word about 8 . Everyone s in Shock said Virginia Howard of Lan Stuhl a Volunteer at the theater. People Don t know what they re saying. They re just in a press conference Kaiserslautern county commissioner Rudolf Tartter initially put the number of dead at 31, but air Force officials Esti mated Between 30 and 40. Several hours later Lan Stuhl s Shaw said 43 people were dead at Ramstein an three were dead at Lan Stuhl. Air Force Brig. Gen. Lawrence , commander of the 316th air div at Ramstein called the collision a tragic it is our opinion that every Possi ble precaution was taken Boese said calling the italian team of the highest Quality and file photos show the three italian pilots killed. From left it col. Mario Naldini it. Col. Ivo Mutarelli and capt Giorgio Alessio. He estimated the Accident occurred at the show Center 1,500 feet from spectators. Eyewitnesses said the Colli Sion occurred As close As 120 feet above the ground. Access to the base was immediately Cut off by German police who directed traffic away. Spectators trying to leave the base were trapped in a 2 /2-hour traffic Jam As authorities cleared the Way for emergency vehicles. The remaining seven italian planes which had been emitting smoke in the red Green and White colors of their nation s Flag before the collision landed at nearby Sembach a. This Accident is too Large for us to understand. And we have to learn consequences for it said Rudi Geil minister of the Interior for the state of Rheinland Pfalz. I cannot see How we can take responsibility for holding such an event again said Geil who described him self As in great representatives of the social demo cratic and free democratic political parties had asked the state government to cancel the event citing potential dangers of flying demonstrations. But the Rheinland Pfalz state government said aug. 5 that the . Air Force has operated the air show under regulations outlined by the German government and there was no reason to cancel the show. Immediately after the Accident West German defense minister Rupert Scholz who had defended the shows announced cancellation of a German air Force air show scheduled for sept. 25. The recce Tricolour were the last show of the Day scheduled for 3 40p.m., following flying demonstrations by . Aircraft from Ramstein Hahn and Pitburg air bases West Germany and Raf Ben Waters England. Also performing were military planes from Germany France the Netherlands an Portugal. The air show began at 12 30 . The three italian pilots killed Sun Day were identified As it. Col. Mario Naldini 41 it. Col. Ivo Mutarelli 38 and capt. Giorgio Alessio 31. In Rome italian Premier Ciriac Demita expressed the profound Sor Row of his government at what recalled the terrible disaster at Ramstein. The Ramstein air show include about 20 air planes on display. They were to Fly out As scheduled monday but base officials did not know when regular flying would resume. In another air Accident sunday this one in Kleine Brogel Belgium a finn ish military training aircraft spun into an uncontrolled dive and crashed Dur ing an air show at a belgian air Force base killing the Pilot wire services re ported. Military officials said the Pilot Ari Piippo 44, of the finnish air stunt team was believed killed instantly when his finnish made propeller driven Valet aircraft crashed into a Meadow outside the base Northeast of Brussels. There were no other casualties and the area was closed off for an official investigation. On aug. 7, a belgian Pilot died when his Mirage 5 Jet fighter crashed at an air show also organized by the belgian air Force at Leopolds Burg seven Miles West of Kleine Brogel. In april May and june 19 military aircraft of the United states Britain France and Germany crashed in West Germany prompting Calls for an end to Low flying and the grounding of some planes. Five . Air Force f-16s have crashed this year in v Many. Contributing to this report staff writer Daryl Green in Kaiserslautern flame from Page 1 and swung up and hit the other two planes one witness said. The Solo plane spewing fire and it nose gear missing then lurched toward the crowd before plummeting the wit Ness said. There was a Cotton puff of flame voluminous Doke said then this in credible Black the scene after the crash looked like a Tornado had blown through a witness said. There was debris every where. Paper cups Coke bottles. All kinds of near what remained of the conces Sion tents a blackened Van and a burned out German police car stood near an array of mangled bicycles apparently thrown to the ground As their owners ran. Contributing to this report Dave Walczak at Ramstein a and . Kominicki in Darmstadt a Saab beef As 1,500 Rock fans take of streets by Anita Gosc staff writer Schweinfurt West Germany an Amer ican Soldier was seriously injured Friday night when a crowd of some 1,500 Rock fans took to the streets of Schweinfurt in anticipation of sat urday s monsters of Rock festival. Police spokesman Karl Heinz kno chel said sunday that pvt. Michael Robinson 19, was stabbed in the left Side of his Chest by an unknown assailant. Robinson of b co 123rd signal in in Wiir Burg was taken to a local Hospital the transferred to a . Military Hospital. His Condi Tion was considered serious but stable. Kno chel said that reports in German Media of massive riots Friday night in Schweinfurt were exaggerated. He said that considering the number of people expected to attend the saturday festival things could have been worse. There was something going on but it was t Assad As described he said. He said some 1,500 youths Many intoxicated took to the streets around 11 . And attacked two or three pedestrians smashed some car Sand windows and left the downtown area littered with debris and broken Glass. Kno chel said 35 people were taken into custody before the ruckus ended about 4 . He said 400 to 600 police had been called in and were assisted by 47 military police. Kno chel said things were much quieter sat urday evening after the festival ended about 9 45 . He said 43 people were taken into custody and released. Kno chel said weekend incidents requiring police action totalled 315, and there were 587 Calls to the red Cross mainly for drunkenness and prob lems suffered by the fans in the stadium. More than 38,000 Rock music fans attended the monsters of Rock festival which included such acts As Iron Maiden kiss and David Lee Roth. According to the associated press on aug. 20two Young men were trampled to death and two were seriously injured when a Large Wall with Avideo screen collapsed during a monsters of Rock festival in Castle Donington England
