To the disaster that happened more than 11 years ago in the night sky over Lake Constance led a strange, almost mystical coincidence many accidents. No less dramatic are those following the tragedy of the event.
Children flew on the wrong plane
On the night of July 1 to 2, 2002, in the sky above a German town Uberlingen, which stands on the northern shore of Lake Constance, collided Russian Tu-154 and Boeing 757 transport company DHL. Killed 71 people, including 52 children flying from Bashkiria to rest in Spain, and adults accompanying them.
This tragedy was preceded by a series of unexpected events and circumstances. So, due to the mistake of the employees of the organizing company leisure liner on which children from Bashkiria were supposed to fly to Barcelona, went there without them. The company corrected its mistake two days later, organizing a special charter for sending children flight.
A photo from open sources
Collision occurred in airspace controlled by Swiss company Skyguide in Zurich, which first refused to accept responsibility for the disaster. Official condolences to the relatives of the victims immediately after the disaster only the leaders of Germany and Switzerland expressed. Guide Skyguide followed suit only two years later.
What led to the collision
Investigation of the causes of the disaster revealed a series of events that have become the result of the negligence of Skyguide employees. Direct the culprit was the dispatcher Peter Nielsen, controlled the airspace in which they encountered aircraft.
On that fateful night, one of the control center radars did not work. flights, and in the night shift, instead of three on duty only Nielsen. True, at first there was a second dispatcher, but he, with the consent of Nielsen, invited his girlfriend to the center and took her “on a tour” on the premises. Such frivolous behavior of dispatchers explained by the fact that the intensity of aircraft movement in these hours are usually quite small.
Moreover, on the eve temporarily disconnected the central line of the external telephone, only the backup worked. But she was inaccessible – she used the mentioned girlfriend of the dispatcher, briskly shared impressions from visiting the center with her friends.
That is why the dispatchers from the German center, who saw on their radars the probability of a dangerous situation, could not warn colleagues in Zurich about her.
To top it all off at that moment in midair “Skyguide” appeared “unplanned” aircraft going to land to Friedrichshafen Airport, and this car should be tackled immediately. And all this was superimposed on the main mistake of Peter Nielsen – his decision, taken at a critical moment. Busy escorting an “excess” plane, he did not hear the message Boeing pilots about the reduction they started. And he gave the Russian plane command to decline.
Collision warning systems for both aircraft worked fine. In this situation, the Russian co-pilot suggested following the instructions of the system and gaining height. However current regulations required such discrepancies obey the instructions of the ground control service.
As a result, the liners were at intersecting courses, and the tail Boeing crashed into the middle of the Tu-154 fuselage. Both aircraft crashed on the ground.
Guilty plea
The blame for what happened was primarily blamed on Peter Nielsen. After the disaster, he experienced a very strong nervous shock, quit his job and throughout the subsequent life was experiencing mental trauma.
A photo from open sources
After some time, Nielsen wrote a statement where he expressed regret that on that fateful night he became the culprit of the tragedy and asked for forgiveness from family and friends dead. Unfortunately, Skyguide management has not made public this statement. As a result, it was published only in German Magazine Focus, but the Russians knew nothing about it. And it became another prerequisite for future events.
Nielsen undoubtedly felt guilty of death 71 man, and life with this sensation was unbearable for him. Can imagine the mental anguish and psychological stress that he constantly experienced. And a year and a half after that tragedy in the door of his house was knocked by an unfamiliar man clearly not European appearance …
Family tragedy
On the crashed Tu-154 was the family of 46-year-old Vitali Kaloeva from North Ossetia. Highly qualified architect, he is in 1999 signed a contract with the Spanish architectural and construction by the company and went to Barcelona. His wife Svetlana and two children remained at home, and now he had to meet his wife and children at the airport of Barcelona to spend a vacation in Spain together.
And again a fatal accident. When Svetlana with a ten-year-old son and four year old daughter arrived in Moscow, it turned out that on their planned flight to Barcelona is no longer available. But Svetlana offered to fly there by Bashkir Airlines with children going on vacation. Of course, she is happy agreed …
A photo from open sources
Upon learning of the disaster, Vitaly immediately flew to Zurich, and then to Uberlingen. The remains of his daughter were found three kilometers from the place collision of aircraft. Son’s disfigured body lay on asphalt not far from the bus stop.
The incident caused Vitaly a deep depression. He returned to his homeland, where he spent more than a year mainly near the graves their relatives. He was seen there even at night.
In November 2003, Skyguide management proposed to Vitaly Kaloev compensation in the amount of 60,000 Swiss francs for his wife and at 50,000 for each child (this is about the same in dollars USA).
Attempts to Repent
Kaloev considered the offer of compensation to be mocking, and this infuriated him. He began to seek a meeting with Alan Rosser, Skyguide leader, and Peter Nielsen, wanted to convince them officially – in front of the cameras – ask for forgiveness from relatives of disaster victims and acknowledge their responsibility for the death of children. But Vitaly was refused a meeting. True, he still managed to meet Rosser, but he failed find the right words that would at least somehow comfort a person, having lost his whole family.
Kaloev repeatedly asked the Skyguide leadership to arrange for him meeting with Nielsen. Vitaly said that he wants to face face the person who caused the death of his wife and children. But first of all, he wanted to hear from Nielsen an apology, an expression condolences and public confession of guilt. But all the requests Vitaly deviated.
And then he decided to go to Uberlingen as a private person. It was in February 2004, a year and a half after the disaster.
Lynching
Kalins found the address of Nielsen in the telephone directory. Since he did not speak German, he first called his buddies at Germany, to ask someone to become his translator. TO Unfortunately, they were very busy and could not come to Uberlingen. Vitaly also had a familiar pastor in Zurich, who could also help, but he was on vacation. Another coincidence …
Vitaly decided to act alone. Find Nielsen’s house helped a woman who lived nearby. Vitaly went to the door of the house and tapped. A man appeared on the threshold, with whom Kaloev managed, finally meet face to face. Vitaly gestured that the owner let him into the house. But he left the house and closed it Door. Then Kaloev said that he was from Russia. How to say it in German, he knew. Then he took out a photo of his dead from his pocket children and wives to show them to Nielsen. But he pushed his hand away Vitaly gestured for him to leave.
And then something happened in Vitaly’s soul – pain, despair, a sense of injustice that he still somehow managed hold back, escaped out of control. He held out to Nielsen again pictures and said in Spanish: – Here, look! This time Nielsen just hit him on the arm, and the pictures fell to the ground.
What happened then, Vitaly absolutely does not remember. According to the protocols of the investigation, Kaloev inflicted a lot of Nielsen stabs, which he always had with him. However the killer is not could remember how he left the scene of the crime and where headed.
36-year-old Nielsen’s wife was in the house with the children when suddenly I heard a scream. Running out, she saw a husband lying on a threshold in a pool of blood, and a retreating person. Peter Nielsen died on eyes of their relatives before the arrival of doctors.
Consequences of revenge
Finding Kaloev was easy – he stopped in the nearby hotel. He was detained and placed in a psychiatric clinic, as the case judge concluded that the murder was committed in state of affect. After a series of legal proceedings, Kaloev was sentenced to eight years in prison. However, in 2007, the Swiss Appeal the court reduced the sentence, Vitaly was released and returned to homeland.
At the site of the tragedy, a monument was opened, a torn necklace, whose pearls scattered along the trajectory of the wreckage of two aircraft
A photo from open sources
Public opinion in Russia, and especially in North Ossetia, with the very beginning was on the side of Kaloev. Most people thought that with his deed he finally restored justice. Himself Vitaly, while still in prison, said that he didn’t not easier – because neither his children nor his wife will ever be resurrected. AND still claimed that he did not remember how he killed Nielsen.
Upon returning to his homeland, Vitaliy Kaloev was appointed to post of Deputy Minister of Construction and Architecture of the North Ossetia.
A Swiss court subsequently recognized four employees Skyguide guilty of unintentionally causing death to many people. Three of them were assigned symbolic terms of imprisonment, one paid a fine.
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