Munich-Riem Airport Aircraft Crash (55-0291)

Incident Overview and Immediate Aftermath An aircraft operating a special flight from Munich to RAF Northolt, near London, crashed in Munich shortly after departing Munich-Riem Airport. The flight was carrying British students returning home for Christmas and a crew of seven. One minute after takeoff, while climbing to an altitude of 1,000 meters, the crew reported a left engine failure to ground control and received permission to return for an emergency landing. Shortly afterward, the copilot reported an inability to control the loss of altitude. In limited visibility caused by fog, with horizontal visibility of 800 meters and vertical visibility of 40 meters, the aircraft struck the top of St Paul church with its left wing and crashed in a large explosion in the center of a commercial district of Munich. The aircraft exploded while hitting a tramway, several cars, and people. Debris was scattered in the street and several shops. All 20 occupants on board the aircraft were killed, as were 33 people on the ground, primarily people sitting in the tramway. Nine other people were seriously injured.