RAMSTEIN-MIESENBACH — 1988 · Major Tragedy
Ramstein Air Show Disaster
On 28 August 1988, during an air show at the US Ramstein Air Base, three jets of the Italian Air Force display team Frecce Tricolori collided while performing the 'pierced heart' manoeuvre. The solo aircraft reached the crossing point too low and too early and struck two others; one of the burning aircraft crashed into the crowd. Seventy people, including the three pilots, were killed and around 500 injured. The disaster exposed poor coordination between German and American rescuers, incompatible medical equipment and a lack of psychological support, and it led to fundamental changes in disaster crisis intervention and emergency medicine in Germany.
- Date
- 1988
- Place
- Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, Ramstein-Miesenbach, DE
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 49.4369, 7.6003 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 28 August 1988Three display jets collided; one fell onto the spectators.
- 1988The death toll rose to 70 as injured victims died.
- 1990sCompensation claims by victims' families were largely rejected.
- Following yearsGermany reorganised psychosocial support and emergency medical rules for disasters.
Sources
- Die Zeit — Der Stoß durchs Herz (1993) zeit.de ↗
- Süddeutsche Zeitung — Katastrophe von Ramstein: Das durchstoßene Herz sueddeutsche.de ↗
- Wikipedia — Ramstein air show disaster en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Die Zeit
- Süddeutsche Zeitung
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.