What happened
On a flight path approximately 65 nautical miles west of the Namibian coastline, two military aircraft collided in mid-air. The first aircraft, a German Air Force Tupolev 154M (registration 11+02), was operating as flight GAF074. This flight had departed from Niamey, Niger, with a planned route toward Cape Town, South Africa, including a scheduled stop in Windhoek, Namibia. The aircraft carried 14 passengers and 10 crew members.
Simultaneously, a US Air Force Lockheed C-141B Starlifter, registration 65-9405, was operating as REACH 4201. This aircraft had completed a delivery of humanitarian aid to Windhoek and was en route to the United States via Ascension Island. The C-141B was operated by a crew of nine.
At 14:11 UTC, the C-141B departed Windhoek and climbed to its assigned altitude of 35,000 feet. During this period, the German Tupolev 154M was also flying at 35,000 feet, rather than its intended altitude of 39,000 feet. At 15:10 UTC, the two aircraft collided at the same altitude and both crashed into the ocean. The accident resulted in 33 fatalities, leaving no survivors from either aircraft.
Findings
A significant factor in the collision was a discrepancy in altitude assignments. While the C-141B was at its assigned level of 35,000 feet, the Tupolev 154M was operating at that same altitude instead of its filed cruise level of 39,000 feet. Furthermore, communication gaps existed between air traffic control centers. While Windhoek ATC maintained contact with the C-141B, they had no information regarding the position of the German aircraft. Although Luanda ATC was in contact with the Tupolev 154M, they were not communicating with the US Air Force aircraft. Additionally, while Luanda ATC had received flight plans for both planes, they had only received a departure notification for the C-141B.