1998 Cavalese cable car crash

1998 incident involving a US Marine Corps aircraft and a cable car in Italy the 1976 crash happened nearby 1976 Cavalese cable car crash March 2024 March 2024 File:Grumman EA-6B Prowler (G-128), USA - Marines AN0340880.jpg EA-6B BuNo 163045, the aircraft involved in the accident, photographed in 1997 Accident yes 1998 02 03 Controlled flight into obstacle caused by pilot error yes Richard J. Ashby Joseph Schweitzer no Obstruction of justice Conduct unbecoming Near Cavalese, Trentino, Italy46.2837 11.4672 type:event_region:IT inline,title Grumman EA-6B Prowler United States Marine Corps EASY 01 163045 Aviano Air Base, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy Aviano Air Base, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy 4 4 0 4 20 The Cavalese cable car crash, also known as it Strage del Cermis (Cermis massacre), occurred on 3 February 1998, near the Italian town of Cavalese, a ski resort in the Dolomites some 25 mi km flip northeast of Trento. Twenty people were killed when a United States Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler aircraft, flying too low and too fast, against regulations, cut a cable supporting a cable car of an aerial lift.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PXxXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mfEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6751%2C3882644 Spokesman-Review Spokane, Washington Associated Press 20 die after plane clips tram line 4 February 1998 A4 3 February 2022 25 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210525080030/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PXxXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mfEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6751,3882644 live https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qPIzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wPEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6157%2C1402770 Spokesman-Review Spokane, Washington (New York Times) Tagliabue John Marine fliers to get hearing in ski accident 13 March 1998 A4 3 February 2022 25 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210525080029/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qPIzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wPEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6157,1402770 live The pilot, Captain Richard J. Ashby, and his navigator, Captain Joseph Schweitzer, were put on trial in the United States and found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter and negligent homicide.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=74dXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EfIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6168%2C2460302 Spokesman-Review Spokane, Washington (Washington Post) Vogel Steve Pilot acquitted in skiers' deaths 5 March 1999 A1 3 February 2022 25 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210525080030/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=74dXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EfIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6168,2460302 live https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ob1OAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8x4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5281%2C1080042 Wilmington Morning Star North Carolina Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service Griffin Anna Marine pilot is found not guilty in ski tragedy 5 March 1999 1A 3 February 2022 25 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210525080031/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ob1OAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8x4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5281,1080042 live 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. The disaster, and the subsequent acquittal of the pilots, strained relations between the U.S. and Italy.Scaliati Giuseppe Dove va la Lega Nord: radici ed evoluzione politica di un movimento populista 67 Zero in condotta 2006 66373351 Details of the disaster thumb|right|Map of Trentino, Italy; Cavalese is located in the north-east of the autonomous province On 3 February 1998, an EA-6B Prowler, 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. At 15:13 local time, the aircraft struck the cables supporting the aerial lift from Cavalese. It was flying at a speed of 470 knots km/h mph 0 and at an altitude of between 260 and 330 ft m -1 flip above ground level in a narrow valley between mountains.How wayward pilot sliced cable https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1998/02/18/how-wayward-pilot-sliced-cable/ 24 May 2021 Tampa Bay Times 18 Feb 1998 en 23 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210523223509/https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1998/02/18/how-wayward-pilot-sliced-cable/ live Its right wing struck the cables from underneath, severing them and causing cabin No. 1 from Cermis with twenty people on board to fall over 260 ft -1 flip, leaving no survivors. The plane had wing and tail damage but was able to return to Aviano Air Base.John Tagliabue with Matthew L. Wald, "Death in the Alps: a special report.; How Wayward U.S. Pilot Killed 20 on Ski Lift" https://web.archive.org/web/20180728003631/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/18/world/death-in-the-alps-a-special-report-how-wayward-us-pilot-killed-20-on-ski-lift.html?pagewanted=all 2018-07-28 , The New York Times, 18 February 1998.Italian outrage over cable car tragedy https://web.archive.org/web/20131102013051/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/53428.stm 2013-11-02 , BBC News, Wednesday, 4 February 1998. Victims Nationality DeathsGermany7Belgium5Italy3Poland2Austria2Netherlands1Total20 Among the twenty killed, nineteen passengers and one operator, were seven Germans, five Belgians, three Italians, two Poles, two Austrians, and one Dutch.Le Vittime https://web.archive.org/web/20071007055321/http://www.valdifiemme.it/comitato3febbraio/vittime.htm 2007-10-07 (list of the names of the victims) by the Comitato 3 Febbraio per la giustizia (3 February Committee for Justice), from valdifiemme.it it Reactions U.S. President Bill Clinton offered an official apologyMary Dejevsky https://www.independent.co.uk/news/cable-car-pilot-not-guilty-of-killings-1078442.html Cable car pilot not guilty of killings The Independent 5 March 1999 25 August 2017 5 October 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171005121747/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/cable-car-pilot-not-guilty-of-killings-1078442.html live and promised monetary compensation. Thomas M. Foglietta, U.S. Ambassador to Italy at the time, visited the crash site and knelt in prayer, offering apologies on behalf of the United States.March 2024 In Italy, where the event received the name of strage del Cermis,Bellini Pierfrancesco 5 March 1999 Strage del Cermis: "Il pilota non ha colpe" Cermis massacre: "The pilot is not to blame" https://archive.org/details/unita_1999-03-05/page/n21/mode/2up 4 January 2024 l'Unità 3 Italian the low-level flight was strongly criticized and some politicians called for a re-evaluation of rules or a complete ban of such exercises, though low-level flight was already illegal. First trial Italian prosecutors wanted the four marines to stand trial in Italy, but an Italian court recognized that North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) treaties gave jurisdiction to U.S. military courts. Initially, all four men on the plane were charged, but only the pilot, Captain Richard J. Ashby, and his navigator, Captain Joseph Schweitzer, actually faced trial, charged with twenty counts of involuntary manslaughter and negligent homicide. Ashby's trial took place at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. 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. The restrictions in effect at the time required a minimum flying height of 2000 ft m; Ashby said he thought they were at 1000 ft 0. The cable was cut at a height of 360 ft m. Ashby further claimed that the altitude-measuring equipment, the altimeter, on his plane had been malfunctioning, and that he had been unaware of the speed restrictions. In March 1999, the jury acquitted Ashby, outraging the Italian public. The manslaughter charges against Schweitzer were then dropped. Second trial and re-examination Ashby and Schweitzer were court-martialed a second time for obstruction of justice and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman, because they had destroyed a videotapehttps://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=81517&page=1#.TzLXNsUfQSk Italian Government Calls American Pilots Criminal 8 February 1998 ABCNews Rome, Italy Alessandra Rizzo 3 February 2022 24 April 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200424172301/https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=81517&page=1#.TzLXNsUfQSk live recorded on the plane the day of the disaster. The existence and destruction of this videotape only came to the attention of military investigators in August 1998; the other two members of the crew, Captains Chandler P. Seagraves and William L. Raney, received testimonial immunity and elected to disclose "the truth about everything".Judgement of the U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals https://web.archive.org/web/20121017002258/http://www.jag.navy.mil/courts/documents/archive/2007/ASHBY%20R.J.%20200000250%20UNPUB.pdf 2012-10-17 , 27 June 2007 Ashby and Schweitzer were found guilty in May 1999; both were dismissed from the service and Ashby received a six-month prison term.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Yq4sAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4B4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=1968%2C3067212 Wilmington Morning Star North Carolina Associated Press Marine pilot found guilty of obstruction 8 May 1999 1A 3 February 2022 3 February 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220203065500/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Yq4sAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4B4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=1968%2C3067212 live https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Wa4sAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4B4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=1616%2C4510619 Wilmington Morning Star North Carolina Associated Press Jury gives pilot 6-month sentence for video swap 11 May 1999 1A 3 February 2022 3 February 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220203065500/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Wa4sAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4B4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=1616%2C4510619 live He was released after four and a half months for good behavior. Schweitzer made a plea agreement that came to full light after the military jury deliberated upon sentencing. His agreement prevented him from serving any prison time, but it did not prevent him from receiving a dismissal.Jury Sentences Marine in Ski-Lift Incident to Dismissal https://web.archive.org/web/20180728003458/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/03/us/jury-sentences-marine-in-ski-lift-incident-to-dismissal.html 2018-07-28 New York Times, 3 April 1999https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dCQxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4G8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5254%2C763100 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Reuters News Service Lee Misti Marine's ouster called for 3 April 1999 A6 3 February 2022 3 February 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220203065500/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dCQxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4G8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5254%2C763100 live https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=C1RWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=A-wDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6785%2C542640 Eugene Register-Guard Oregon Associated Press Marines eject flier from military 3 April 1999 5A 3 February 2022 3 February 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220203065501/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=C1RWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=A-wDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6785%2C542640 live https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ra0sAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5R4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5655%2C761275 Wilmington Morning Star North Carolina New York Times News Service Navigator dismissed from Corps for destroying videotape 3 April 1999 1A 3 February 2022 3 February 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220203065502/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ra0sAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5R4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5655%2C761275 live 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. They claimed that during the first trial the prosecution and the defense secretly agreed to drop the involuntary manslaughter and negligent homicide charges, but to keep the obstruction of justice charge, in order to satisfy the requests coming from Italy. The appeal of Schweitzer was denied in November 2007.Andrea Visconti, "Cermis, patto segreto dietro il processo" https://web.archive.org/web/20080206093623/http://www.repubblica.it/2008/02/sezioni/cronaca/cermis-patto/cermis-patto/cermis-patto.html 2008-02-06 , la Repubblica.it, 2 February 2008. it Decisions from the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces were made available in August 2009."United States v. Ashby, 08-0770/MC (C.A.A.F. 2009)" https://web.archive.org/web/20160406170307/https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/800318/united-states-v-ashby/ 2016-04-06 , Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 31 August 2009."United States v. Schweitzer, 08-0746/MC (C.A.A.F. 2009)" https://web.archive.org/web/20160406170331/https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/800319/united-states-v-schweitzer/ 2016-04-06 , Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 31 August 2009. U.S. official report In a formal investigation report redacted on 10 March 1998, and signed by Lieutenant General Peter Pace, the U.S. Marine Corps agreed with the results of the Italian officers. The investigation was led by General Michael DeLong, along with Italian Colonels Orfeo Durigon and Fermo Missarino.http://archive.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=40 Investigators Blame Marines for Cable Car Accident American Forces Press Service 16 Mar 1998 https://web.archive.org/web/20120714213058/http://www.defense.gov//News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=41284 2012-07-14 The document was kept secret until the Italian newspaper La Stampa legally obtained a copy from the U.S. archives and published it on 13 July 2011.https://www.lastampa.it/cronaca/2011/07/13/news/e-colpa-nostra-dobbiamo-pagare-1.36950768 "È colpa nostra, dobbiamo pagare" ["It is our own fault, we have to pay"] Maurizio Molinari and Paolo Mastrolilli La Stampa Italian 13 July 2011 13 July 2011 13 February 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200213102656/https://www.lastampa.it/cronaca/2011/07/13/news/e-colpa-nostra-dobbiamo-pagare-1.36950768 live The Marine aircrew was determined to be flying too low and too fast, putting themselves and others at risk. The investigation team suggested that disciplinary measures against the flight crew and commanding officers should be taken, that the U.S. had to bear the full blame for what happened, and that victims' relatives were entitled to receive a monetary settlement.http://www.ilpost.it/2011/07/13/rapporto-incidente-cermis/ Il rapporto finale sul Cermis [The final report on the Cermis] Il Post (Italian Post) Italian 13 July 2011 13 July 2011 14 July 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110714233911/http://www.ilpost.it/2011/07/13/rapporto-incidente-cermis/ live The commission found that the squadron was deployed at Aviano on 27 August 1997, before the publication of new directives by the Italian government forbidding flight below 2000 ft m in Trentino-Alto Adige. All the squadron's pilots received a copy of the directive. A copy of the directive was later found, unopened, in the cockpit of the EA-6B along with maps marking the cable car wire route. Directives were irrelevant here, since diving below cables was prohibited at all times regardless. In the report, the pilots are said to be usually well-behaved and sane, without any previous case of drug abuse or psychological stress. Nevertheless, on 24 January, they had received a formal warning for flying too low after a training takeoff.August 2021 On 2 February, Schweitzer planned the flight route for a low-altitude training mission using obsolete documents. It was proved that the squadron commander, Lieutenant Colonel Muegge, and his assistants, Captains Roys, Recce, Watton, and Caramanian, did not alert the navigator about the new flight altitude limitations, possibly because the proposed flight had a lower floor of 1000 ft m, enough to be safe with any cable in the area. The report included an interview with the commander of 31st Fighter Wing, who stated that Muegge confessed to him that he and his squadron, save Ashby, were aware of the current flight limitations. After approving the report, Pace suggested disciplinary measures be taken against the commanders as well.August 2021 On the morning of the disaster, the plane underwent maintenance for a fault in the "G-meter", which measures g-forces; the unit was replaced. The radar altimeter was checked and reported to be in normal condition. After the disaster, Ashby reported the altimeter never sounded a low altitude warning, but this is disputed and highly unlikelyat the time of the disaster, the altimeter was set to alert at 800 ft m and the plane had been flying at less than 400 ft m. Ashby was qualified for low-altitude flights and prohibited from diving below cables at all times. His last training mission of that kind was flown over six months before, on 3 July. The report includes flight tracing from a nearby AWACS airplane. The document reports a camcorder aboard the flight, but it was blank after Schweitzer had taken the original cassette and burned it afterwards."Seconds From Disaster", National Geographic documentary S04 E05, 2011 (Schweitzer interview). Schweitzer confessed in 2012 that he had burned the tape containing incriminating evidence upon returning to Aviano Air Base. http://espresso.repubblica.it/attualita/cronaca/2012/01/20/news/cermis-il-pilota-confessa-1.39576 Cermis, il pilota confessa 20 January 2012 3 February 2022 25 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210525080046/https://espresso.repubblica.it/attualita/cronaca/2012/01/20/news/cermis-il-pilota-confessa-1.39576/ live Compensation By February 1999, the victims' families had received 65000 1999 -1 per victim as immediate help by the Italian government."America's Obligation in Italy" https://web.archive.org/web/20180728003007/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/10/opinion/america-s-obligation-in-italy.html 2018-07-28 , The New York Times, 10 March 1999 In May 1999, the U.S. Congress rejected a bill that would have set up a $40 million compensation fund for the victims."US Congress decision not acceptable for Cavalese victims' lawyer", Agence France Presse, 17 May 1999 In December 1999, the Italian Parliament approved a monetary compensation plan for the families ($1.9 million per victim). NATO treaties obligated the U.S. government to pay 75% of this compensation, which it did."Families of victims in Italian ski-lift disaster compensated", Agence France Presse, 26 April 2000 See also 1959 Okinawa F-100 crash 1960 Munich C-131 crash 1964 Machida F-8 crash 1968 Thule Air Base B-52 crash 1976 Cavalese cable car crash 1977 Yokohama F-4 crash 1988 Remscheid A-10 crash 1990 Italian Air Force MB-326 crash Cable car accidents and disasters by death toll References 2 Category:Accidents and incidents involving United States Navy and Marine Corps aircraft Category:Anti-American sentiment in Europe Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Italy Cavalese cable car crash Category:Non-combat military accidents of the United States Category:Cable car disasters Category:Transport disasters in Italy Category:History of the Italian Republic Category:United States Marine Corps in the 20th century Category:United States Marine Corps aviation Category:History of Trentino Category:Italy–United States military relations Cavalese cable car crash Cavalese cable car crash Cavalese cable car crash Category:1990s disasters in Italy Category:1998 in Italy Category:Events that led to courts-martial Category:Military history of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Category:1998 disasters in Europe Category:Cavalese Category:Italy–United States relations