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. Later, it emerged a video that captured the accident from inside the plane had been destroyed.” [CNN]. ; How Wayward U.S. 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. This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Cavalese cable car disaster. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. government. The defense argued that the incident was a tragic accident caused partly by the fact that the plane’s altimeter was not working and the gondola cable that the plane hit was not on the map that he was given. The automatic train stop safety system, which could have prevented the disaster, was switched off.

The appeal of Schweitzer was denied in November 2007. On February 3 1998, a U.S. Marine Corps jet on a low-level training flight sliced through steel wires supporting a cable car near the ski resort of Cavalese in the Italian Alps, sending a gondola plunging to the ground. The disaster, and the subsequent acquittal of the pilots, strained relations between the United States and Italy. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. This was the 2nd disaster, as 43 people died in the same area in 1976. The disaster, and the subsequent acquittal of the pilots, strained relations between the United States and Italy.[1]. 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. Cermis near the Italian ski resort of Cavalese in the Dolomites, 40 km (25 mi) north-east of Trento. [11], The Marine aircrew was determined to be flying too low and too fast, putting themselves and others at risk. [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. Schweitzer made a plea agreement that came to full light after the military jury deliberated upon sentencing. The existence and destruction of this videotape only came to the attention of military investigators in August 1998, once Capt Chandler P. Seagraves received testimonial immunity and elected to disclose "the truth about everything. - Duration: 10:10. All the squadron's pilots received a copy of the directive. [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. Top Viral Talent Recommended for … 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). Maurizio Molinari and Paolo Mastrolilli (13 July 2011). [13], By February 1999, the victims' families had received US$65,000 per victim as immediate help by the Italian government, which was reimbursed by the U.S. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. [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. Many experts believe that the acquittal of the US crew explains the reasons why Italy decided to indict two dozens of CIA officers on the Abu Omar case a few years later. 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. The investigation was led by General Michael DeLong, along with Italian Colonels Orfeo Durigon and Fermo Missarino.

His agreement prevented him from serving any prison time, but it did not prevent him from receiving a dismissal. The cable was cut at a height of 360 feet (110 m). [2][6][7], The inquest found that during high winds, the stationary and the moving steel cables crossed and one severed the other. The Cavalese cable car disaster of 1976 is the deadliest cable car crash in history.

"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. 20 people died. TOP 4 Best *LIGHT SHOWS EVER* on Got Talent World! At 14:13 local time it struck the cables supporting the aerial tramway-style cable car from Cavalese. [1] On 9 March 1976, the steel supporting cable of an aerial tramway broke as a fully loaded cable car was descending from Mt. PS: Despite his role in the destruction of the videotape evidence, Seagraves was promoted to colonel in 2015. 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 ), On This Day — Madeleine Albright Discovers Her Jewish Roots (February 4 1997) [Lockerbie], On This Day — The Cavalese Cable Car Disaster (February 3 1998) [2020], Former CIA Sabrina De Sousa — My Time To Speak, Former CIA Sabrina de Sousa to do community service for cleric kidnap, CIA Covert Ops in Italy Lasted Long After the 1948 Elections (National Security Archive), Italian Intel Agencies: ISIS Terrorism Risk “increasingly acute”. After approving the report, Pace suggested disciplinary measures be taken against the commanders, too. ( Log Out /  The two men were court-martialed a second time for obstruction of justice and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman, because they had destroyed a videotape[6] recorded from the plane on the day of the accident. [3][4][5], The cable car had a capacity of 40 people or 7,000 pounds (3,200 kg). “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. In Italy, where the event received the name of Strage del Cermis (Italian language: "The massacre of Cermis" The letter was later found, unopened, in the cockpit of the EA-6B along with maps marking the cable car ropes.[11]. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today, RELATED POST: Former CIA Sabrina De Sousa — My Time To Speak, RELATED POST: Former CIA Sabrina de Sousa to do community service for cleric kidnap, RELATED POST: CIA Covert Ops in Italy Lasted Long After the 1948 Elections (National Security Archive), RELATED POST: Italian Intel Agencies: ISIS Terrorism Risk “increasingly acute”. [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. Pilot Killed 20 on Ski Lift", http://www.independent.co.uk/news/cable-car-pilot-not-guilty-of-killings-1078442.html, "Italian Government Calls American Pilots Criminal", http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=81517&page=1#.TzLXNsUfQSk, Judgement of the U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, Jury Sentences Marine in Ski-Lift Incident to Dismissal, "Cermis, patto segreto dietro il processo", "Investigators Blame Marines for Cable Car Accident", http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=41284, ""È colpa nostra, dobbiamo pagare" ["It is our own fault, we have to pay", http://www3.lastampa.it/cronache/sezioni/articolo/lstp/411287/, "Il rapporto finale sul Cermis [The final report on the Cermis, http://www.ilpost.it/2011/07/13/rapporto-incidente-cermis/, https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Cavalese_cable_car_disaster_(1998)?oldid=4133227, 20 dead (1 cable car operator, 19 passengers), On 9 January 2002, Bolzano's Teatro Studio presented a dramatic play called, On 3 October 2011, National Geographic Channel aired the episode of.