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Vol.47, No. 134

AUTHORIZED UNOFFICIAL PUBLICATION FOR THE U.S. ARMED FORCES

Tuesday, August 30, 1988 * * as«DoHy<mdsund<,x 1F 8693 A

For S&S: John Flanagan

The out-of-control Aermacchi MB-339A jet from Italy's Frecce Tricolori acrobatic team plunges to the ground near a concession stand Sunday at the Ramstein AB air show.

Germany bans military stunt flyingBy JOSEPH OWEN

and DEEDEE ARRINGTON DOKEStaff writers

West German Defense Minister Ru-pert Sclwlz Monday announced a ban onstunt flying for German military aircraftand called on allied nations to find saferways to conduct flying demonstrations.

Scholz, speaking on a special programon the German television network ZDF,said, "I have made the decision that acr-obatic flying can no longer be consid-ered, but it is obvious that I can makethis decision only for the West Germanarmed forces," the Associated Press re-ported.

On the same program, U.S. Ambassa-dor Richard Burt indicated that theUnited States is ready to adopt its ownban on stunt-flying exhibitions at airshows at its bases in West Germany, ac-cording to the AP.

However, at a press conference earlierMonday in Landstuhl, West Germany,U.S. officials would not rule out futureperformances of precision flight teams,citing their value as a demonstration ofequipment and training and as a recruit-ing tool.

Scholz initially appeared to be calling foran end to stunt flying by all allied nations inan announcement coming one day after thecrash of three Italian jets that killed dozensand injured more than 300 during a perfor-mance at Ramstein AB.

He called on allied military leaders toSee BAN on back page

For S&S John Flanagan

Stunned spectators watch as a fireball from the crash of the solo jet erupts near the concession stands and a refrigeration trailer.

Page 2 THE STARS AND STRIPES Tuesday, August 30,1988

Survivors share their grief, shock'/ think God put my feeling aside'

By DARYL E. GREENKaiserslautern bureau

RAMSTEIN AB, West Germany —Survivors of Sunday's fiery air disaster atthe base open house gathered to sharetears and feelings of guilt and depressionMonday at the first of a series of griefclinics offered by Air Force mentalhealth officials.

"We had been selling snow cones, andwe had a (refrigerator) unit stocked witha lot of ice," a sergeant said as he chokedback tears. "When we went back in tohelp, a lot of us just started grabbing theice and putting it on the victims.

"One of the tech sergeants from mysquadron was holding a 10- to 12-year-old German girl. She was burned, but Icouldn't tell how bad. She just keptlooking at me asking: 'Am I going to die?Am I going to die?' And I couldn't tellher one way or the other, so I just keptlooking at her and saying: 'You're allright. You'll be fine.' And she keptscreaming for her mom. And I just can't

get that face out of my mind."A young airman with just a little more

than a year in the Air Force credited hisfaith for giving him the strength to helpthe wounded.

"I was actually putting my hands in-side their backs and sides to keep theirveins shut," the 21-year-old said. "Ithink God put my feeling aside so that Icould get in there and help."

Others spoke of trying to help lovedones who don't want to deal with theirgrief. One woman who lived through theexperience wanted to know how to helpher husband. He served on the detail as-signed to retrieve the remains of the vic-tims.

"I knew he had to talk about it," shesaid as tears welled in her eyes. "I didn'twant to talk about it, but I knew I had to.I'm here for me, but I'm here for himtoo."

The two gathered with six other survi-vors at the base Mental Health Clinic,

which will hold two sessions a day, at 11a.m. and 3 p.m., through Friday inBuilding 2112.

Survivors spoke of experiencing de-pression, lack of sleep, loss of appetite,decreasing interest in things they usuallydo, guilt and recurring visions.

And they cried.The mental health experts at Ramstein

encouraged talking about the experienceas a means of dealing with it.

One common experience expected tobe shared by virtually all the survivors isreliving some aspect of the event, saidclinical social worker Mary Lee Kelly.

"Down the road, years (later), if some-thing like that isn't talked about, some-body could have a more drastic re-action," she said.

"I feel guilty because I froze," an NCOsaid as he looked down, shaking hishead. "I felt like I was looking at every-thing through a tunnel. I'm not sure ithappened. I never thought I would see

the things I saw."Dr. (Capt.) Kevin P. Mulligan, a psy-

chologist, said children who witnessedthe crash "will tell us more by what theydo than by what they say."

"The kids may not sleep well or eatwell or be enthused," Kelly said. "We'veheard stories about kids kind of begrud-gingly going off to school today."

Parents who notice such behaviorshould encourage their children to talkabout their experience. If the problemspersist, they should consider seeking pro-fessional help, they said.

"The family guidance center at Ka-paun Air Station is in the process ofworking with the schools to get someprogram set up," Mulligan said.

Mulligan said witnesses should followtheir normal daily routines.

"Continue to work," he said. "Stayinvolved with family, stay involved withactivities. Try to maintain a normal day-to-day routine. If you continue to do itover time, you'll kind of be back on auto-pilot."

More than 105killed since '82

By The Stars and StripesThe accident at Ramstein AB Sunday brings

to more than 105 the number of pilots and spec-tators killed in Europe since 1982 as a result of12 aircraft accidents at air shows:

• Aug. 28f, 1988 — About 30 minutes before theRamstein accident, a light Finnish civilian aircraftcrashed during an open house air demonstration atKleine Brogel, Belgium, killing its 44-year-old pilot.The accident was viewed by 60,000 to 70,000 peo-ple at the Belgian air force base.

• Aug. 7,1988 — The pilot of a Mirage 5 fighter-bomber died when his jet crashed at an air shownearHechtel, Belgium.

• June 26, 1988 — Three people were killedwhen an Airbus A320 jet crashed during a low passat an air show near Mulhouse, in eastern France.

• May 30, 1988 — A vintage jet fighter crashedduring a holiday air show in Coventry, England,killing its Royal Air Force pilot. The twin-engineMeteor T-7 plunged into a field three miles fromCoventry Airport while attempting a descendingturn in preparation for a flyby.

• May 6, 1988 — Two died at Hannover, WestGermany when a British Chinook helicopter hit aloading ramp with its back rotor and burst intoflames during a German air show.

• Feb. 3, 1988 — Six people died at Pouilloux,France, when a vintage Dassault-Flamand bombercrashed during a low pass at an exhibition.

• July 24, 1986 — Two airmen from RAF Al-conbury, England, were killed when their RF-4CPhantom II jet crashed into the water off the coast ofWales during a Royal Air Force air show.

• May 25, 1986 — Two vintage jets from theRoyal Air Force collided in midair before more than150,000 spectators during an air show hosted by theU.S. Air Force at RAF Mildenhall, England. Twocrewmen in a Gloster Meteor were killed and twoothers in a de Havilland Vampire ejected safely.

• September 1985 — A single-engine Cessnasport plane crashed while attempting to land when itbypassed the runway, grazed a parked car and flewinto a group of spectators during an air show inSiegen, West Germany. One spectator was killedand seven others were injured but the pilot and fourpassengers were unhurt.

• Sept. 4, 1984 — The pilot and co-pilot of aDHC-5D de Havilland Buffalo air freighter escapedinjury when their plane crashed while attempting toland during the Farnborough International AirShow in England.

• Sept. 11, 1982 — An Army CH-47 Chinookcarrying 46 people — eight of them Americans —crashed onto a highway during a German air showkilling all aboard. Victims included the five-memberU.S. crew, two AFN staff members, one U.S. sky-diver, and 38 other skydivers from England, Franceand West Germany.

S&S: Brenda HosierAbove, Gen. John R. Galvin, Supreme Allied Contender Europe (left), looks over wreckage of an Italian jet withUSAFE Commander Gen. William L. Kirk. Below, an Air Force staff sergeant stands guard at the crash scene.

Tuesday, August 30,1988 THE STARS AND STRIPES***

Page 3

2. Formation splitsinto three flightpaths: five to theright, four to theleft and one to theback.

3. Solo pilot comesdown back side ofheart heading to-ward spectatorsintending to passover other jets.

10 aircraft form avertical formation.Moving upwardthey intend to forma heart-like shape.

5. Solo plane strikesone or two of thefour-plane forma-tion.

6. Flames appear.

7. Plane crashes nearspectators send-ing flames and de-bris into crowd.

4. Wheels appear tobe lowered.

S&S Graphic: Lisa Rivard

Italian air force officials puzzled by crashByALBABRAGOLIMediterranean bureau

Italian air force officials Monday continued topuzzle over the cause of the crash that claimed thelives of at least 40 spectators and injured hundredsmore at the Ramstein air show Sunday.

"The Frecce Tricolori is the pride of our air force,and their pilots are absolute tops," said team spokes-man Maj. Giorgio Di Martino. "Their exhibitions aredaring and everything is tried and tested again andagain. But we are dealing with human beings and ma-chines. When you fly, the slightest mistake or break-down can spell disaster."

The pilots fly in Frecce Tricolori after one year ofspecialized acrobatic training and normally stay on theteam for five years, Di Martino said.

"The pilots who apply for the ... team must havewell over 1,000 hours of flight time before they aretaken into consideration," he said. "Most are between30 and 40 years of age and are at the height of theiroverall condition and performance. The ones who getin are men of quality and experience."

Frecce Tricolori, or the Tri-Color Arrows, is knownas one of the most spectacular and daring acrobaticteams.

"In 1986 the team toured the United States andCanada and was seen by millions of people," Di Marti-no said. "They were the main attraction at all the airshows they participated in. The newspapers called purpilots 'unparalleled acrobats of the sky,' 'incredibleflying daredevils.'"

The team consists of 14 pilots — all volunteers fromfighter pilot squadrons — with three technical officersand 55 mechanics in support roles. They fly modifiedAermacchi MB-339A two-seat training jets, which canbe used as ground attack aircraft. The plane can fly upto 558 miles per hour.

"The team hadn't had an accident since 1981, andwe don't know yet exactly what happened," Di Marti-no said. "We dispatched an investigation team, and wehave to wait for the results to see if it was mechanicalor human error. Either way, it'll be a long time beforewe can put this terrible tragedy behind us.

The classic formation for the team involves 10planes flying in groups of four and five with one solopilot. The exhibitions last an average of 30 minutesand include a series of maneuvers in which the planesfly inches from one another and close to the ground.

WESTGERMANY FAST

Gf'MMANY

Italian AirForce JetsCrash atAir Show

Ramstein

AUSTRIA

"Every single maneuver is rehearsed hundreds oftimes. The aircraft are checked inside and out and soare the pilots," Di Martino said. "The pilots especiallymust always be in top physical and mental shape, sincethey must rely on their reflexes and sight alone."

He identified those killed in the Ramstein crash asLt. Col. Mario Naldini, 41, the team leader, who hasmore than 3,900 flight hours and who is a native ofFlorence; Lt. Col. Ivo Nutarelli, 38, first left wing, withmore than 3,800 flying hours, born in Palermo; andCapt. Giorgio Alessio, 31, third left wing, with morethan 1,600 flying hours, born in Alessandria. However,the team's brochure listed Nutarelli as the soloist.

At the time of the accident, the two large groups of theteam were creating a heart shape out of brightly coloredsmoke trailing from the aircraft. The soloist, attemptingto pass near the lowest point of the heart, clipped twoother planes as he headed toward the crowd.

Roger Hoefling, a Briton who has narrated at least300 air shows and witnessed a 1979 fatal accidentinvolving the Italian team at RAF Mildenhall, Eng-land, said he rarely has seen an acrobatic maneuverlike the one executed Sunday. He saw the accidentreplayed on British television.

"I don't know of another team that has a maneuverthat has a man headed for the audience in quite thatway," Hoefling said.

Aerobatics at air shows normally are done in frontof crowds, not over, to try to avoid such disastersshould the planes collide, Hoefling said.

Frecce Tricolori had three fatal accidents before theRamstein crash. The first was July 12, 1978, when twoplanes collided while in training over the team's homeairport of Rivolto, Italy, killing Capt. Graziano Carrer,32.

The second accident occurred May 27, 1979, duringthe RAF Mildenhall exhibition, when Capt. Pier Gian-ni Petri managed to veer away from the crowd beforecrashing.

The third accident occurred during training in Riv-olto on Sept. 2, 1981, and ended with the death ofCapt. Antonio Gallus.

(Contributing to this report: staff writer Dave Oiehl in England.)

MTuesday, August 30, 1988 THE STARS AND STRIPES

**Page 9

By JANET D'AGOSTINOMedical writer

LANDSTUHL, West Germany —Doctors said Monday they expect moredeaths to follow in the wake of Sunday'sfatal air show accident at Ramstein ABin which at least 40 already are con-firmed dead.

"There may be some more deaths,particularly among the burn patients,"said Dr. {Col.) William Milnor, chief oforthopedic surgery at Landstuhl ArmyRegional Medical Center.

Officials at German hospitals saidMonday that 10 of the estimated 200people still hospitalized could die beforethe night was over. (See story below.)

Eleven patients remained at LandstuhlMonday from about 120 brought in after anItalian jet crashed in flames near a crowd ofspectators at Ramstein's annual open house.

But the patients were coming in sofast, "the 120 is really a very accurateguess," said Maj. Joe Flannery, chief ofclinical support services, who was chiefadministrator on the scene Sunday.

The scene at the hospital was like some-thing out of a movie, according to Spec.Donna Cohn, a Landstuhl environmentalhealth specialist who helped carry litterswhen the first injured arrived.

People were in-pain and screaming,and there was a "pungent" smell of burntflesh and hair, she said.

The 11 patients remaining at Land-stuhl were in very serious or guardedcondition, said Flannery, who, alongwith Milnor, answered media questionsMonday morning. The injured still atLandstuhl were all Americans and in-cluded five servicemembers, Flannerysaid. The rest were family members, in-cluding two children.

The number of patients at Landstuhlis expected to change as American pa-tients in German hospitals stabilize andare able to be transferred to the Armyhospital, said Marie Shaw, a spokeswo-man for the hospital.

The majority of people brought to themedical center Sunday had sufferedburns, with many g9ing into shock fromthe severity of injuries and loss of blood,Milnor said. Intravenous lines quicklywere placed into the injured because"the first thing that burn patients need is

* victims may die, doctorsBurn patients face greatest threats£?™°

S&S: Dave DidioVictims are given emergency treatment Sunday after a jet crashed in the midst of the crowd during the Ramstein AB air show.

a lot of fluids," he said. mass casualty plan soon after the accident, cause of the Reforger and Autumn ForgeAlthough the number was not certain, using the main entrance and hallways as a exercises, which are starting this month,

Flannery knew of at least 15 to 20 chil- triage center for stabilizing patients. said John Davis, a spokesman for Sev-dren who were treated originally at the Calling Sunday's accident the largest ent

Ah Medical Comd.

hospital. disaster Landstuhl has responded to, A five-member team of burn special-Milnor said many of the injured were Flannery said the hospital's mass casual ffi^v^ESS fr^\ll R l ̂ °K

concerned about the well-being of family ty plan worked well. There were no staff Monday evemnj from the Brook Armymembers who also were at the air show. or blood shortages, and the coordination M^^^^McdinSnS^u^

The majority of the 120 patients were of emergency vehicle transportation also ..̂ f ^^edaUy?" and i l i s theGermans, Italians and other nationalities, went smoothly, he said. "best-equipped burn unit in the world"Milnor said. The hospital activated its Blood supplies were well stocked be- that he knew of, Flannery said.

Hospitals list conditions of disaster survivorsBy REGINA KIRKENDALL

Staff writerThe following list details the conditions of more

than 330 people injured Sunday at the Ramstein openhouse. About 200 remained hospitalized Monday; 10patients were not expected to survive the night.

While the list covers most of the major hospitals andclinics that received the injured, other patients mayhave been treated at smaller medical facilities in theRamstein area.

Ludwigshafen City Hospital — Of the 33 victimsinitially treated, 25 remained hospitalized Monday.Two died early Monday morning. Five people weretreated and released. One man checked himself out,although his injuries required hospital treatment.

Of those who remained hospitalized, 15 had severeor life-threatening burns and 10 had less severe burns.The original 27 hospitalized Monday morning includ-ed four children. Twelve were men and 11 women, allof them German.

Homburg City Hospital — Received 49 victims. Onewas dead on arrival. Seven were released after treat-ment for minor burns or other injuries. Four patientswere to be transferred to Ludwigshafen. Three sufferedextreme burns on more than 90 percent of their bodiesand were not expected to survive the night.

One of the remaining 41 was in a coma and couldnot be identified. He is believed to be American orBritish because he has spoken some English words. Nodetailed information concerning the other patients' sexor nationality was available.

Kaiserslautern City Hospital — Treated about 105victims. Forty-six remained hospitalized Monday.Eight with life-threatening burns were to be transferredto Ludwigshafen. Five of them were not expected tosurvive the night. No information was available con-cerning the nationality or sex of the patients.

Landstuhl Army Regional Medical Center — Of the120 initially treated, 11 remained Monday. They in-cluded five U.S. servicemembers and six family mem-bers. Two were children. Conditions ranged from se-riously injured to guarded.

Trier City Hospital — Five German men treated.Four were to be transferred to Aachen's Special Clinicbecause of severe burns. Four of the five were in life-threatening condition. One, who suffered burns over65 percent of his body and who had severe internalinjuries, was not expected to survive the day.

Kusel City Hospital — Treated 25 victims. Ten re-mained hospitalized Monday. All were German andmost were men. One man was not expected to survive;nine others were in fairly good condition.

Ludwigshafen Clinic — Nine victims treated initial-ly. All remained hospitalized Monday. Among them,four had severe or life-threatening burns. The othershad less severe injuries. Of the four with severe inju-ries, three were identified as German. The fourth wasin a coma and carried no identification.

Koblenz City Hospital — Four victims treated. Allremained hospitalized Monday. The nationalities ofthree men with severe injuries, all in comas and with-out identification, could not be determined. One Ger-

man woman suffered less severe injuries.Idar-Oberstein City Hospital — Five victims

treated. One was transferred to Stuttgart for treatmentof severe burns. One American man was transferred toHahn AB, then brought back to Idar-Oberstein Mon-day morning. The other patients were German men.No victims were in critical condition.

Baumholder City Hospital — Six victims treated. Allwere German. One woman and three men were treatedand released. Two men were transferred Mondaymorning, one to Idar-Oberstein and one to Mannheim.

Landstuhl City Hospital — Sixty-eight victimstreated, with 37 still hospitalized. The group, a mixtureof Germans and Americans, included some children.None had severe injuries. Some patients had burns.Most suffered broken bones, cuts and bruises. Moredetailed information was not available.

Offenbach City Clinic — Treated three Germanmen. No other information available.

Pirmasens City Hospital — Two victims treated andreleased. One was a German man and the other anAmerican man with minor injuries.

Mannheim City Hospital — Treated three victims.All were released after being treated for minor injuries.All were German men.

Frankfurt Army Regional Medical Center — Fourvictims treated. Two were transferred to an Offenbachhospital with serious burns. One woman was trans-ferred to Frankfurt's Accident Clinic and one womanwas discharged Monday.

Page 28 THE STARS AND STRIPES Tuesday, August 30,1988

Identification of air show dead continuingBy DEEDEE ARRINGTON DOKE

Kaiserslautern bureauRAMSTEIN AB, West Germany —

Air Force officials turned to unclaimedcars and dental records Monday in anattempt to identify victims of Sunday'sair show disaster.

Death figures fluctuated and no namesof victims were released, but it was be-lieved at least 42 people were killedwhen three Italian air force planes col-lided at the annual Flugtag air show.

"It takes time to identify people andnationalities," said 1st Lt. Alan Sattler, abase spokesman. "It's a big problem.

"They're trying every possible methodto come up with identification, includingdental records, cars left behind and call-ing units to see if anyone is missing."

Throughout Sunday night and intoMonday, about 65 volunteers staffed abank of phones that served as an emer-gency clearinghouse for information onmissing people. In the aftermath of thecrash, thousands of people were sepa-rated from their friends and families. A2'/z-hour traffic jam to get off base addedto the confusion.

When news of the disaster reached theUnited States, frantic friends and rela-tives began calling Ramstein to find outif their loved ones were safe.

"One woman called every 15 min-utes," a volunteer said.

While no figures were available onhow many lost people were matchedthrough the clearinghouse, about 1,000names of potential missing persons wereturned in.

And there were success stories, such asa toddler hospitalized at Homburg whocouldn't remember her name. She even-tually was matched up with her parents,who had been taken to Landstuhl ArmyRegional Medical Center for treatment.

"A lot of things are coming together,"a woman said. "The effort to do thesmallest thing has been tremendous."

At a press conference at RamsteinMonday, German Defense Minister Ru-pert Scholz announced that German andU.S. air forces would not conduct train-ing flights Thursday in honor of the trag-edy victims.

Gen. William L. Kirk, USAFE com-mander, issued a statement Monday ex-pressing "grief over the tragic incident."

"We extend 9ur deepest sympathy tothose of all nationalities who lost lovedones," Kirk said. "For those who wereinjured, both civilian and military, weare doing all we can to ensure they areprovided the best possible care. Again,words cannot express our grief over thistragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are

with all those who are suffering."Kirk toured the crash site Monday

with Gen. John R. Galvin, supreme al-lied commander, Europe. The two metfor at least two hours Monday withScholz and U.S. Ambassador to Ger-many Richard Burt.

The centerpiece of what remained at theaccident site Monday was the charred ruinsof a single airplane lodged at the end of arefrigeration trailer. Scattered across thearea were parts of the plane.

Bicycles thrown on the ground as theirriders ran from the airplane's flames andcars abandoned by their owners com-prised most of the larger debris left onthe grass.

On one four-door car, two doors hadbeen flung open and an empty pop bottle

stood on the roof.Standing guard at the scene of this

strangely quiet jumble were U.S. AirForce security police.

The scene at a base theater was moreactive as people who wanted to let theirfriends and relatives in the United Statesknow that they were safe took advantageof free telephone lines arranged by the1964th Comm Group.

"My other relatives called last night tosee if we were all right," Wanda Tyl ofSulzbachtal said. "My mother hasn'tcalled. It's better for me to give her a callto let her know."

In other developments:• Some witnesses said they thought

the planes may have been flying too lowand too close to spectators. Witnesses

said the jets were flying at about 100 feetwhen the collision occurred, the Asso-ciated Press reported.

Klaus Koplin, head of the FederalAeronautics Office in Braunschweig, saidregulations require that aircraft otherthan helicopters stay above 500 feet.

But other West German officialspointed out that the rules for air shows atNATO military bases are set by the mili-tary authorities involved.

• President Reagan prepared mes-sages of condolence Monday for the fam-ilies of those killed and injured.

• The Italian air force stunt team in-volved in the air show disaster will elimi-nate manuevers that fly over people andreduce the number of planes at other per-formances this year, air force chief Gen.Franco Pisano said.

For S&S: John Flanagan

Their faces showing fright and horror, spectators run from the deadly inferno following the crash of an Italian air force aerial team.

BANFrom Page 1

seek safer ways for pilots to demonstratetheir flying skills to the public.

"Until recommendations are pre-sented on which decisions can be made,there will be, with the agreement of theallied air forces, no air shows involvingmilitary aircraft in the Federal Republicof Germany," Scholz, a member of theChristian Democratic Union, said in astatement released by his Bonn office.

Also earlier Monday, Burt said the AirForce was canceling a Sept. 17 air show atBitburg AB with the "clear understanding"

correction

An article Friday incorrectly statedtwo details from the court-martial of aNavy lieutenant commander on chargesof sexual harassment.

The four Navy women working for theconvicted officer all were enlisted per-sonnel, and the prosecutor in the caseasked that the accused man be sentencedto four years' confinement.

that there would be other air shows.In another interview on the German

television network ARD, Scholz ac-knowledged that air shows like the one atRamstein are popular with the publicand provide a good way for air forces todemonstrate their capabilities.

On the other hand, he said, sheer intereston the part of the public must not be per-mitted to lead to unacceptable risks.

"That surely won't do," he said.Germany and the United States will

begin talks on ways of making air showssafer, Burt said.

Both Scholz and Burt said the aerobat-ics performed at Ramstein had "no con-nection" with low-level training flights,which they said still are needed.

Echoing that statement, U.S. Gen.John R. Galvin, NATO's top militarycommander in Europe, said, "I'm con-cerned that this accident would causepeople to relate it somehow to low-leveltraining It should have no impact onlow-level training."

In Germany, reaction to the tragedyranged from sorrow to outrage amongthe other three political parties at thefederal level, while the Rheinland-Pfalzstate interior minister, Rudi Geil, won-dered whether such aerial displays ever

could be staged again "in Germany, inEurope or in the entire civilized world."

The Green Party called for the resig-nation of Scholz, who earlier had defendedthe Ramstein air show in the face of crit-icism from political and church organiza-tions, according to the Associated Press.

The other two parties expressed sym-pathy for the injured and the families ofthe dead.

"This is not the hour for accusationsand critical confrontations with thosewho are responsible," Social DemocraticParty Chairman Hans-Jochen Vogel saidMonday at a party conference inMiinster. But Vogel promised a laterconfrontation where "those who longhave demanded an end to such perfor-mances will be raising their voices."

The Bonn office of the Free Demo-cratic Party, which participates in a gov-erning coalition with the Christian Dem-ocrats and Christian Social Union, saidScholz should prohibit the West Germanair force from participating in air showsand encourage other allied military lead-ers to follow nis example.

Immediately after the accident, Scholzcanceled a Sept. 25 air show by WestGerman military planes.

Free Democrats spokesman GerhartBaum said the air show disaster does not

justify accusations or action against Scholz."We don't demand any personnel action.We see no cause for it," Baum said.

In the state of Rheinland-Pfalz, wherethe accident occurred, the state Par-liament has scheduled a special sessionfor Sept. 8 to discuss the Ramstein disas-ter and its consequences, according toGreens representative Horst Steffny.

The state's FDP organization saidMonday that politicians should not try toexploit the crash for political gain. In aletter to West German Foreign MinisterHans-Dietrich Genscher, an FDP mem-ber, the state FDP urged him to call for aEuropewide ban on such air shows at thenext NATO defense ministers' meeting.

The state Parliament had passed a reso-lution July 7 calling for a ban on militaryflight training either over inhabited areasor below 1,000 feet. The vote closely fol-lowed several West German air disasters,including a midair collision of two U.S. F-16s in Rheinland-Pfalz on June 29 and anF-16 crash the same day in the neighboringstate of Baden-Wurttemberg.

Earlier this month, several state mem-bers of the Social Democratic and FreeDemocratic parties asked the Rheinland-Pfalz government to stop the air show atRamstein. Several lawmakers then triedto organize a boycott of the event whentheir appeal to the government failed.