Douglas DC-3 accident near Gaggenau

The C-47 accident near Gaggenau occurred on 1 November 1945 near Gaggenau-Michelbach close to the boundary with Bernbach, a district of Bad Herrenalb, when a C-47 aircraft of the USAAF collided with the mountainside of the Bernstein in the northern Black Forest. 26 of the 30 occupants were killed, 27 according to other sources.

Flight

The aircraft took off with 30 people on board from RAF Station Bovingdon, United Kingdom, bound for Schleissheim Army Airfield in Germany. The soldiers on board were returning from leave in London. After crossing the English coast, the C-47 flew on instruments above a solid cloud layer. After the calculated flight time had elapsed, the pilot began the approach. The crew informed the passengers that there were still 30 minutes until landing at Schleißheim. Owing to a strong headwind that had not been included in the weather briefing carried out before departure, the C-47 was not near Augsburg as expected, but only in the Karlsruhe area. The C-47 flew along a river for some time; finally the pilot initiated a left turn and a climb. Back in the clouds, at around 16:30 the C-47 collided 70 metres below the Bernstein rock first with trees and then with the mountainside. On impact the aircraft broke apart and caught fire. Only four people were able to escape from the aircraft; the other 26 died on impact. After the crash, two injured occupants walked downhill to Sulzbach; a third walked over the mountain towards Bernbach and was able to alert helpers, who four hours after the impact recovered one critically injured person.