Condor Flugdienst Flight 3782


Condor Flugdienst Flight 3782 was an international charter flight from Stuttgart-Echterdingen Airport, West Germany to Adnan Menderes Airport, Turkey that crashed near Seferihisar, Turkey on 2 January 1988. At the time, Condor Flugdienst was a 100% subsidiary of Lufthansa.

Accident description

The flight was uneventful until final approach, when the aircraft, with the co-pilot acting as Pilot flying, was cleared for an ILS approach to the Outer Marker and then on to Runway 35. The aircraft's ILS was switched on after it had passed the NDB, therefore missing the turn. The crew, confused, then followed the wrong side beam of the ILS, and it struck Dümentepe Hill, 10.5 nautical miles from the airport, killing all 16 people on board.

Investigation Results

The captain, 48 year old Wolfgang Hechler, was a former Starfighter pilot. According to the evaluation of the cockpit voice recorder, he continuously talked to the First Officer even in the approach phase and kept on criticising, lambasting and insulting him, partly without reference to duty or work subjects.
The investigation concluded:
The accident occurred due to the wrong use of navigation aids. The cause is attributed mainly to the lack of adherence to company procedures especially in respect of crew coordination during approach and basic instrument flying procedures.