), the low-level flight was strongly criticized and some politicians called for a re-evaluation of rules or a complete ban of such exercises.[3]. The aircraft was flying at a speed of 540 miles per hour (870 km/h) and at an altitude of between 260 and 330 feet (80 and 100 m). The letter was later found, unopened, in the cockpit of the EA-6B along with maps marking the cable car ropes.[11]. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. The reader interested to learn more about this tragedy will find many interesting details in this excellent piece: A Few Not So Good Men: Marine Pilots, a Massacre, Immunity. Forty-three people died, including 15 children between the ages of 7 and 15 and the 18-year-old cable car attendant. ( Log Out / “Many believe one of the reasons the Italian judges went after the CIA RDI [Rendition, Detention, Interrogation] and [former CIA Officer] Sabrina De Sousa in the Abu Omar case was the USMC and USG accountability failures and arrogance.”, Mark Fallon — International Security Consultant & Author (February 4 2018), “Get rid of the videotape. Italians ask: Can Americans get away with murder. The investigation team suggested that disciplinary measures against the flight crew and commanding officers should be taken, that the United States had to bear the full blame for what happened, and that victims' relatives were entitled to receive a monetary settlement. At the time of the crash in the late afternoon it had 44 occupants – justified by the operator as many of them being children. NATO treaties obliged the U.S. government to pay 75% of this compensation, which it did.[16]. In Italy, where the event received the name of Strage del Cermis (Italian language: "The massacre of Cermis" [2] The only survivor was a 14-year-old Milanese girl, Alessandra Piovesana, who was on a school trip and was with two friends when the crash happened. - Duration: 10:10. The Cavalese cable car disaster of 1976 is the deadliest cable car crash in history. For the 1998 crash, see. Italian prosecutors wanted the crew of the jet tried in Italy, but an Italian court ruled they should face court-martials in the U.S., in accordance with NATO treaties. [2], Coordinates: 46°16′25″N 11°28′35″E / 46.2735°N 11.4763°E / 46.2735; 11.4763, This article is about the 1976 crash. — CNN, On This Day — The Cavalese Cable Car Disaster (February 3 1998), On This Day — The Cavalese Cable Car Disaster (February 3 1998) [2019], On This Day — The Cavalese Cable Car Disaster (February 3 1998) [2020]. On 3 February 1998, an EA-6B Prowler, BuNo 163045, 'CY-02', callsign Easy 01, an electronic warfare aircraft belonging to Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 2 (VMAQ-2) of the United States Marine Corps, was on a low altitude training mission. By some twist of fate, the accident occurred on the very same cable car where 42 people plunged to their deaths in 1976, the worst such accident ever in a mountain resort. After the disaster, Ashby reported the radar altimeter did not alert, but this is disputed and highly unlikely. In December 1999, the Italian legislature approved a monetary compensation plan for the families ($1.9 million per victim). At 3:12 p.m., the jet struck the cable with such force that a 32,000-pound counterbalance at the cable car station was lifted about 30 feet into the air before crashing back to the deck. [2][3], Those killed, 19 passengers and one operator, were all Europeans: eight Germans, five Belgians, three Italians, two Poles, one Austrian and one Dutch. The Cavalese cable car disaster of 1998 (also called the Strage del Cermis ("Massacre of Cermis") occurred on February 3, 1998, near the Italian town of Cavalese, a ski resort in the Dolomites some 40 km (25 mi) northeast of Trento. The episode 'Commendatori' (Season 2) of the Soparanos has a scene where the character Paulie tells a passer-by that he is from America, and the Italian man asks Paulie if he is from NATO and asks if his planes cut their ski lift cable. [11], Ashby was qualified for low-altitude flight, but his last training mission of that kind was flown over six months before, on July 3. In the report, the pilots are said to be usually well-behaved and sane, without any previous case of drug abuse or psychological stress. Maurizio Molinari and Paolo Mastrolilli (13 July 2011). Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. [5] The manslaughter charges against Schweitzer were then dropped. [8], In their appeal, Ashby and Schweitzer asked for a re-examination of their trial and for clemency, challenging their dismissals in order to be eligible for military benefits. It was determined that the maps on board did not show the cables and that the EA-6B was flying somewhat faster and considerably lower than allowed by military regulations. In August 1961, six people died after a low-flying French military plane cut the cables of a cable car between the, On 9 March 1976, 43 people, including 15 children, were killed on the same cable car system as in the 1998 incident. Who Tortured Giulio Regeni to Death? The pilot further claimed that the height-measuring equipment on his plane had been malfunctioning, and that he had been unaware of the speed restrictions. The disaster, and the subsequent acquittal of the pilots, strained relations between the United States and Italy. All 20 people inside the gondola were killed. In March 1999, the jury acquitted Ashby, outraging the European public. The cable was cut at a height of 360 feet (110 m). All the squadron's pilots received a copy of the directive. Cermis near the Italian ski resort of Cavalese in the Dolomites, 40 km (25 mi) north-east of Trento. On the morning of the disaster, the plane underwent maintenance due to a fault in the "G meter", which measures g-forces, and was replaced. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. [8] Four lift officials were jailed for their part in the disaster. The Cavalese cable car disaster of 1998 (also called the Strage del Cermis ("Massacre of Cermis") occurred on February 3, 1998, near the Italian town of Cavalese, a ski resort in the Dolomites some 40 km (25 mi) northeast of Trento. One teenage girl survives, cushioned from impact of fall by bodies of victims. Most of the victims were West Germans from Hamburg. Later they were found guilty of obstruction of justice and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman for having destroyed a videotape recorded from the plane and were dismissed from the Marine Corps. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. She testified in the succeeding trials and later worked as a journalist for the science magazine Airone, before her death from illness in 2009. Nevertheless, on January 24, they had received a formal warning for flying too low after a training take-off. [14] On 9 March 1976, the steel supporting cable of an aerial tramway broke as a fully loaded cable car was descending from Mt. [10] The document was kept secret until the Italian newspaper La Stampa legally obtained a copy from the United States archives and published it on July 13, 2011. And Why? The cable was severed and 20 people in the cabin descending from Cermis plunged over 80 metres (260 ft) to their deaths. The pilot, Captain Richard J. Ashby, and his navigator, Captain Joseph Schweitzer, were put on trial in the United States and were found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter and negligent homicide. "42 Skiers Are Killed in Italy When Cable Car Falls 200 Feet", Last edited on 1 September 2020, at 13:44, Saint-Étienne-en-Dévoluy cable car disaster, "BBC ON THIS DAY | 9 | 1976: Scores die in cable car tragedy", "La maledizione del Cermis comincio' 22 anni fa", "Morta l' unica sopravvissuta del Cermis", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cavalese_cable_car_disaster_(1976)&oldid=976157140, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 1 September 2020, at 13:44. Cavalese cable car disaster, 1998: a US marine pilot was flying too low against orders and cut the cable. 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