Mid-air collision near the Dümmer

The mid-air collision near the Dümmer occurred on 16 May 1976 at 15:12 near the Dümmer lake in Lower Saxony. Tactical number 3 (37+59) of a formation of four F-4F Phantoms of Jagdgeschwader 71 "Richthofen" collided with a Scheibe SF-25C Falke motor glider (D-KMJD). Both aircraft were destroyed. Both pilots of the motor glider were fatally injured in the collision; the pilot and weapon systems officer of the Phantom escaped using their ejection seats.

Accident sequence

The motor glider passed Lembruch on the eastern edge of the Dümmer on a true course of 137° at a flight altitude of 3500 feet MSL. At the same time, the four Phantom fighter aircraft were also approaching from the north at 3500 feet MSL. For them, the northern edge of the Dümmer was the third turning point on the route to Celle. On a magnetic map course of 149° towards it, they crossed the flight path of the motor glider about 10 km behind it, from left to right. However, the light aircraft was neither detected by the Phantoms' on-board radars nor seen by their crews. Shortly before the turning point, the formation initiated a left turn onto the new heading of 057° by slowly rolling. During the turn the entire formation assumed a bank angle of 30° to the horizon. Shortly before reaching the new heading, they slowly rolled out. The motor glider was now directly in front of the formation at the same altitude. While rolling out, the weapon systems officer of number 3 saw an object at short distance in front of the Phantom which he took to be a glider. He warned the pilot, but by then it was already too late for an effective evasive manoeuvre, especially given the narrow room for manoeuvre within a formation. The Phantom struck the right side of the motor glider at a high closing speed. As the subsequent accident investigation determined, its pilots had had no chance to see the approaching fighter aircraft in time. On impact the motor glider was almost completely destroyed; only the outer half of the left wing remained as a larger piece of wreckage. Both motor glider pilots were killed instantly.

The hot engine block of the Falke tore open the left wing tank of the Phantom. Escaping fuel ignited immediately and created a fireball. The Phantom lost parts of its left wing and went out of control. The crew left the aircraft using their ejection seats. The wreckage of both aircraft fell close together about 3 kilometres north of the village of Brockum into the Quernheimer Bruch. The ground was contaminated by the Phantom's fuels and fluids. The pilot drifted with his parachute towards the burning impact site of the aircraft and had to slip away from it. He was slightly injured on landing. The weapon systems officer landed somewhat further away and was uninjured. The rest of the formation flew back to its home base.