Mid-air collision kills 71

Investigators photograph sections of the tail and engine of the crashed Tupolev in Überlingen, southern Germany. Keystone

Two jets that collided in Swiss-controlled air space, killing 71 people - most of them children - were both diving to avoid a crash.

The two aircraft, a Tupolev 154 charter aircraft belonging to Russia’s Bashkirian Airlines and a Boeing 757 owned by the freight company, DHL, slammed into each other late on Monday night at over 11,000 metres.

The impact sent flaming debris across more than 30 kilometres of southern Germany, near Lake Constance on the Swiss-German border.

Many of the victims were children travelling on the Russian aircraft from Moscow to Barcelona for a UNESCO conference.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud “thundering” noise from above the clouds, followed by a fireball.

Confusion

Skyguide, the Swiss air traffic control service responsible for monitoring the two aircraft at the time of impact, said Zurich-based air-traffic controllers issued three warnings to the Russian crew.

After initial reports said the first warning was issued 90 seconds before the crash, Skyguide has now revised this figure, admitting the air traffic controller in charge had given the first instruction to descend 50 seconds before the crash.

“Skyguide still believes that the warning was tight but sufficient,” said Urs Ryf, spokesman for Skyguide.

After the pilots of the Russian plane showed no reaction, the second warning was issued 25 seconds later.

However, Ryf did not want to comment on whether the air traffic controllers had issued two or three warnings. “The controllers gave several instructions and it’s up to the investigations to reveal everything else,” Ryf said.

Toni Maag, the chief of the air traffic control tower in Zurich, said an automatic warning system on board the Boeing was activated at the same time, alerting its crew to the approaching Tupolev and instructing the plane to lose altitude.

The Russian plane was not equipped with such an automatic warning system.

Raining wreckage

While there remains no definitive explanation for the crash, rescue workers have begun combing wreckage for clues.

A flight-data recorder from the Tupolev has been found, German police said.

Dozens of boats have also launched search missions on Lake Constance in the belief that significant portions of the Boeing jet crashed into the water. Divers have also begun probing the lake depths.

The Swiss Accident Investigation Bureau has launched a probe, while two helicopters from the Swiss Rescue Service, Rega, travelled to the area to assist in search operations.

The Swiss transport minister, Moritz Leuenberger, has expressed his concern for the families and victims of the crash and told the his German counterpart, Kurt Bodewig, he would do everything possible to support the investigation of the crash.

Scene of horror

Eyewitness news reports from the area highlighted how close many residents came to an even worse tragedy.

The area – which sits under one of Europe’s busiest air traffic crossroads – is relatively sparsely populated.

Observers have also speculated that fatalities on the ground may have been avoided because much of the DHL Boeing crashed into Lake Constance.

One German television reporter described how families stared white-faced with shock at pieces of burning wreckage in their gardens. One family was sitting in their yard when aircraft wheels crashed into it.

Ludger Hoevelmann, a receptionist at a hotel in Überlingen, said she heard what she thought was the start of a thunderstorm.

“Colleagues told me they heard a huge bang, then saw a red fireball and some large parts of wreckage fall to the ground,” she said.

The state transport minister, Ulrich Müller, said neither of the aircraft had been carrying dangerous goods.

Drinking water

Initial tests have shown no signs of contamination of Lake Constance, which supplies 500,000 people with drinking water in Switzerland.

Maria Quignon of the Lake Constance Water Supply Board in the German town of Stuttgart said so far the incident has not disrupted their work.

“We work normally and initial samples have turned out to be alright,” she said.

In total, 5.5 million people rely on drinking water from Lake Constance, which covers an area of 572 square kilometre and borders Switzerland, Germany and Austria.

swissinfo with agencies