ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 56428
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| Date: | Saturday 11 September 1982 |
| Time: | c. 12:50 LT |
| Type: |  Boeing CH-47C Chinook |
| Owner/operator: | US Army |
| Registration: | 74-22292 |
| MSN: | B.711 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 46 / Occupants: 46 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Mannheim (BWü), near -
 Germany
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Mannheim/Neuostheim (EDFM) |
| Mannheim/Neuostheim (EDFM) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
The Boeing CH-47C Chinook helicopter crashed in Mannheim, Germany, killiing all 46 on board.
The City of Mannheim requested two Chinooks to drop sky divers at the Air Show for the 375th anniversary of the city. Although both helicopters arrived on schedule, instead of two Chinooks executing the mission, someone made the decision to only take one aircraft. The Para-jumpers desired to set a world record by forming the largest joined circle of free-falling sky divers ever accomplished.
As a result, 46 people climbed aboard one Chinook. Since there were only 33 seats available in the cabin, 11 people remained standing. The aircraft took off without difficulty. The aircrew planned the drop at 13,000 feet. After climbing for about 12 minutes, to an estimated altitude of 8,000 to 9,000 feet, the tower received a message from the aircraft that a problem had developed and it was descending to land. About the same time, the pilot of the second aircraft, observing from the ground, saw 292 start down. Out of curiosity, he jumped in the cockpit of his aircraft and, on the company's private frequency, made contact with 292. He asked them if they were having any trouble. The pilot of 292 reported a flickering caution light, that a noise was heard, and they were coming down. After a few minutes of autorotation, 292 was set up to land on the runway. At the last moment, the aircrew decided there were too many people in the area where they were trying to land. The aircraft was now at approximately 600 feet. The descent was halted in an attempt to cross the autobahn and land on the other side. When power was applied to arrest the descent, the in-flight break-up of the helicopter began. Witnesses on the ground reporting hearing a loud bang and describing a "whooshing" sound. The Aft Rotor Blades were observed departing the airframe. Shortly after the Aft Blades failed, the Aft Rotor Hub, along with half of the Aft Pylon separated from the fuselage. A split second after half of the Aft Pylon separated, the Aft Transmission and the remaining portion of the Aft Pylon began to tear away from the airframe. The aircraft slowly rolled onto it's right side as it continued to descend. About ½ second before impact, one of the multi-national Para-jumpers as he is either thrown free or attempts to get clear of the aircraft, however he was too low to open his parachute and he died on impact. 74-22292 crashed onto the autobahn between Mannheim and Heidelberg, making contact on the helicopter's right side, in a slightly nose up attitude. Upon impact, 74-22292 burst into a huge fire ball, creating a glowing mushroom cloud above the impact site. The "G" force at impact was estimated at 200.
Sources:
European Stars and Stripes, witness
ANP
http://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/10/11/The-crash-of-a-US-army-helicopter-that-killed/9455403156800/
https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F2/769/769.F2d.115.84-1446.html
http://www.chinook-helicopter.com/history/aircraft/C_Models/74-22292/74-22292.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Dec-2008 11:59 | harro | Updated |
| 11-Mar-2010 08:53 | TB | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 10-Jan-2013 12:24 | TB | Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 22-Aug-2013 10:14 | Uli Elch | Updated [Operator, Departure airport] |
| 24-Jul-2016 07:36 | Anon. | Updated [Narrative] |
| 17-Oct-2016 16:43 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 24-May-2019 19:45 | Bill | Updated [Phase, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 28-Oct-2019 21:48 | Uli Elch | Updated [Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 15-Sep-2023 16:54 | harro | Updated [[Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]] |
| 15-Sep-2023 18:37 | wf | Updated [[[Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]]] |
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