Background
The aircraft departed Egelsbach Airport in the middle morning on a local charter flight. On board were 29 passengers and a crew of three, including a team that was to film a TV movie during the flight.
Flight
After takeoff, the captain left his seat, and some passengers entered the cockpit. The copilot was tasked with following the Rhine River but became distracted by discussions with the passengers and mistakenly identified the Neckar River as the Rhine. Minutes later, weather conditions deteriorated; the copilot decided to continue the flight rather than turn back.
Accident
At an altitude of approximately 500 meters, the copilot initiated a left turn. The aircraft struck trees and crashed in a wooded area of the Hoher Nistler forest, about 5 kilometers northeast of Heidelberg. Four passengers sustained serious injuries, while 28 other occupants were killed.
Investigation
The official investigation found that the accident occurred in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The pilot had misidentified both the Rhine and Neckar rivers while flying at a relatively low altitude. The following contributing factors were reported: poor crew coordination, failure of the crew to return to the departure airport, poor visibility, the aircraft's total weight exceeding the maximum takeoff weight (MTOW), and the center of gravity (CofG) being outside the permissible limits.