What happened
During a large-scale combined military exercise, several aircraft departed from Frankfurt-Main Airbase. The formation included 17 C-119 transport planes and 12 Republic F-84 Thunderjet fighters. While the group was cruising at an altitude of 5,000 feet, a collision occurred between two different aircraft types.
A Republic F-84 Thunderjet, registration 51-628, struck a C-119 transport plane, registration 51-8235. Following this initial impact, both the fighter and the first transport plane entered a dive, subsequently striking a third aircraft, another C-119 with registration 51-8241.
The sequence of impacts caused all three aircraft to crash into a field located in Weinheim. The accident resulted in eight fatalities. On the first C-119 (51-8235), all six crew members were killed. On the second C-119 (51-8241), two crew members lost their lives, while four other occupants were successfully rescued from the wreckage. The pilot of the F-84 Thunderjet managed to bail out of the aircraft and landed safely on the ground.