Bonn – Niamey – Windhoek – Cape Town

On September 13, 1997 at 05:10 PM, Bonn – Niamey – Windhoek – Cape Town experienced a crash involving Tupolev TU-154, operated by German Air Force - Deutsche Luftwaffe, with the event recorded near Atlantic Ocean All World.

The flight was categorized as military and the reported phase was flight at a lake, sea, ocean, river crash site.

24 people were known to be on board, 24 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 10, crew fatalities: 10, passengers on board: 14, passenger fatalities: 14, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. Some 65 nautical miles west off the Namibian coast, a US Air Force Lockheed C-141B Starlifter collided with a German Air Force Tupolev 154M in mid-air. Both aircraft crashed, killing all 33 occupants. The Tupolev 154M (11+02), call sign GAF074, operated on a flight from Cologne/Bonn Airport in Germany to Kaapstad, South Africa. En route refueling stops were planned at Niamey, Niger and Windhoek, Namibia. On board were ten crew members and 14 passengers. The C-141B, (65-9405), call sign REACH 4201, had delivered UN humanitarian supplies to Windhoek and was returning to the U.S. via Georgetown on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean. On board were nine crew members. GAF074 departed Niamey, Niger at 10:35 UTC. REACH 4201 took off from Windhoek at 14:11 UTC and climbed to its filed for and assigned cruise level of 35,000 feet (FL350). At the same time, GAF074 was not at its filed for cruise level of FL390 but was still at its initially assigned cruise level FL350. Windhoek ATC was in sole and continuous radio contact with REACH 4201, with no knowledge of GAF 074's movement. Luanda ATC was in radio contact with GAF074, but they were not in radio contact with REACH 4201. Luanda ATC did receive flight plans for both aircraft but a departure message for only REACH 4201. At 15:10 UTC both aircraft collided at FL350 and crashed into the sea.

Aircraft reference details include registration 11+02, MSN 89A813, year of manufacture 1989.