USAG Rheinland-Pfalz, City of Mannheim honor victims of 1982 Chinook Helicopter accident

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany - U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz leaders and the City of Mannheim held a wreath-laying ceremony Sept. 11 to honor the 46 people who died in the 1982 Chinook helicopter crash at the Neuostheim Airport near Mannheim, Germany.

Col. Jeffery Higgins, USAG Rheinland-Pfalz commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Raymond Wrensch represented the garrison at the remembrance ceremony alongside retired German Bundeswehr Soldiers who were on duty the day of the crash and family members of French, Italian and British servicemembers who died.

The ceremony has been held annually for more than 40 years to preserve the memories of the fallen.

In one of the deadliest military aviation accidents in Europe since the conclusion of World War II, a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter carrying French, British, German and American servicemembers and civilians, crashed shortly after takeoff during a 375th anniversary air show near Mannheim on Sept. 11, 1982. All 46 on board died, including 23 French paratroopers, nine British soldiers, six West Germans and eight Americans. Among them were a five-member U.S. flight crew and two American Forces Network (formerly Armed Forces Network) journalists covering the event.

Investigators later determined that a mechanical failure caused the rotor blade to separate mid-flight, sending the aircraft plummeting into an open field before it exploded.

Col. Jeffery Higgins, USAG Rheinland-Pfalz commander, said remembering the victims alongside German community partners and Allies underscores the value of a shared, enduring commitment to honoring the memories of those service members.

"It's important to honor the lives that were lost on that day," Higgins said. "This was a shared tragedy, and so we come together in unity to remember, preserving a lasting memory of our fallen comrades and safeguarding the lessons learned through this terrible event."

Higgins said coming together as a community at ceremonies like this one reinforces relationships between U.S. forces and local communities across the garrison's 26 geographically separated sites, where close coordination with host nation partners ensures shared strength and resilience.

Alexander Fleck, Mannheim City Councilman, spoke at the ceremony, emphasizing that the U.S. Army's presence at the ceremony underscores the close bonds that have grown out of the tragedy.

"This remembrance connects us across the years with our partners and friends abroad," Fleck said. "For the city of Mannheim, this place of remembrance reminds us of what really matters in life. And it obliges us to continue working towards a world in which solidarity and community across borders are not exceptions, but the norm."

U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz advances the Department of Defense mission to achieve peace through strength as we serve, support and secure the total force community, enabling power projection for the European Theater.

Connect with USAG Rheinland-Pfalz: https://linktr.ee/usag_rp