Medico-legal study on crashes of fighter planes of the National People's Army

In the years 1974 to 1990, 39 pilots died in 34 crashes of fighter planes of the National People's Army; 32 victims were examined forensically. For the present study all autopsy protocols and examination reports available in the German Federal Military Archives in Freiburg could be evaluated. Both officer cadets and experienced pilots of high military ranks were among the victims. The majority of the crashes (24 out of 34) was caused by human failure. Health problems or the use of alcohol and medications did not play a role in the aircraft accidents. All killed pilots were identified. The injury patterns after fatal ejection are different from the patterns seen after impact with a plane. Such patterns of findings are meaningful in the reconstruction of unknown sequences of events leading to the accidents and for the assessment of the pilots' capacity to act at the moment of the incident Language: de