On February 19, 1996, a Cessna 550 Citation II (registration D-CASH) operated by Private Wings Flugcharter was involved in an aviation accident near Freilassing, Germany during landing or approach. 10 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The exact cause remains undetermined, though an electrical system failure led to autopilot disconnection and a loss of airspeed resulting in a stall. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A).
Aircraft registered D-CASH. Photo: Alec Wilson from Hampton-in-Arden, United Kingdom / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A charter flight flying from Berlin crashed in a wooded area near Freilassing during its approach to Salzburg, resulting in the loss of all 10 people on board.
What happened
A charter flight originating from Berlin was conducting an approach to Salzburg-Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Airport when the accident occurred. After descending from FL140 and establishing on the ILS, the crew received clearance for landing. However, while on short final, the aircraft type experienced a stall and impacted a wooded area in Freilassing, approximately 5.5 km before reaching runway 16. The impact and subsequent fire destroyed the aircraft. There were 10 fatalities among the occupants.
Findings
Investigators could not definitively establish the primary reason for the crash due to the destruction of the wreckage by post-crash flames. While severe icing conditions were noted in the vicinity at the time of the accident, no physical evidence of ice remained on the debris. It was observed that the aircraft's speed decreased significantly during the final approach, leading to the stall. Additionally, a failure of the electrical system occurred during the approach, which resulted in the disconnection of the autopilot and rendered the attitude indicator non-functional.
Probable cause
The exact cause remains undetermined, though an electrical system failure led to autopilot disconnection and a loss of airspeed resulting in a stall.
