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Interflug Flight 1818
Interflug Flight 1818
Aircraft similar to Flight 1818 (Il-62)
Flight path
| Date | May 10th 1995 |
|---|---|
| Summary | Suicide crasher; Mass murder terrorist act in suicide |
| Site of incident | Neu Hofgebäude, Bonn, Federal Republic of Germany (50°43'57.4"N 7°06'16.1"E) |
| Aircraft Type | Iluyshin Il-62 |
|---|---|
| Operator | Interflug |
| Registration | I-FATE |
| Flight Origin | Magdeburg, German Democratic Republic |
| Layover Airports | Brno, CEMF (Czechoslovakia) Budapest, Hungary Sikorsky Kyiv Airport, Novorosiya |
| Destination | Moscow, USSR (Soviet Union) |
| Occupants | 156 |
| Casualties | 152 passengers 4 crew 287 ground 193 in hospital 98 misc 734 total |
Interflug Flight 1818 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Magdeburg to Moscow, with layover ports Brno, Budapest, and Sikorsky Kyiv. The flight was operated by East German air carrier Interflug, at the time one of the few major airlines in East Europe. The aircraft was an Iluyshin Il-62, carrying 152 passengers and 4 crew. On May 10th 1995 the aircraft crashed into the then West German parliament building; the Neu Hofgebäude in Bonn, killing all 156 people onboard and 578 on the ground, both instantly and over time.
The crash was an intentional act by First Officer Ludwig Gordwich, who prior to the incident had lost both his daughter and his wife. Gordwich was vehemently loyal to the East German government, standing by communist ideals and viciously opposing any subject related to capitalism or the West.
In the midst of the first leg of the journey, the East German government collapsed, letting West German troops flood into red areas beyond the Iron Curtain. During this, an air traffic control centre in Leipzig was captured. West German military communicators informed all flights in the area that East Germany was being freed, and urged them to return to the ground, guaranteeing that they will lead prosperous lives under Western rule.
Captain Auderre Heijman, being largely pro-west, told first officer Gordwich that they should return. Gordwich vehemently opposed the idea, accusing Captain Heijman of being a capitalist sympathiser. They began to argue until the conflict became physical, with Gordwich eventually managing to force Heijman out of the cockpit and locking the cockpit door. He then diverted the aircraft to Bonn, where he crashed it into the newly built West German parliament building.
Incident
Interflug Flight 1818 took off from runway 09 at Magdeburg City Airport, at 13:34 on the 10th of May 1995 (UTC+1). The aircraft turned right towards its next layover airport in Brno, at the time under the administration of the Czech Emergency Military Force, or Czechoslovakia.
The Neu Hofgebäude in Bonn.
At 13:41, 7 minutes after takeoff, West German forces had reached Leipzig Halle Airport. Military communications operators went into the air traffic control tower and sent out a message to all aircraft in the area, stating that the East German government had collapsed and that all aircraft are cleared to land at any West German airport and also Leipzig Halle, promising them that "...you will have a better life in the West, that is something we promise."
In the cockpit of Flight 1818, the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) recorded the following discussion and eventual argument between Captain Auderre Heijman and First Officer Ludwig Gordwich. This log can be found here.