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Catastrophe over Remscheid: Memories of the terrible plane crash!
On December 8, 1988, a US fighter bomber crashed in Remscheid, resulting in seven deaths and widespread destruction.
Catastrophe over Remscheid: Memories of the terrible plane crash!
On December 8, 1988, a tragic catastrophe occurred in Remscheid that went down in the city's history. At around 1:26 p.m., a US Air Force pilot, Captain Michael Foster, became disoriented during a military training flight in thick fog and crashed his A-10 Thunderbolt II into a residential building on Stockder Street. A total of seven people died, including the pilot and five others, including two residents and three scaffolders. This caused a wave of disbelief among local residents.
Loud Welt.de After the impact, the scene was chaotic: helpers reported “new shreds of bodies” that they found under the rubble, and the firefighters had to proceed “slice by piece.” The operation was marked by extreme difficulties as the machine crashed into a burning building. The smoke and fog made the rescue work considerably more difficult. Although most of the residents were out at the time of the disaster, the inferno caught many unprepared.
Immediate and far-reaching consequences
A total of 50 people were injured, some seriously. The immediate consequences of the tragedy were devastating: six apartment buildings burned and twelve buildings were damaged. RGA.de reported that the city set up a donation account that collected 1.4 million German marks for the victims. The US Air Force covered 75 percent of the costs of the damage, and two of the destroyed houses were rebuilt. The disaster also led to renewed debate about military exercises over densely populated areas.
The circumstances of the crash remained controversial, with experts ruling out that the plane was loaded with depleted uranium, as some rumors claimed. Instead, she only had practice ammunition on board. Despite clear findings, fear remained among the population and the catastrophe remains a formative event in the memory of the people of Remscheid to this day.