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| London Daily Telegraph, 04-January-1998 |
25 years ago, on 03-February-1998, two Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowlers, electronic-warfare aircraft, of the US Marine Corps were breaking the rules and regulations by flying too low and too fast through a valley in the mountains of northern Italy. The wing of one of the Prowlers clipped a cable that supported an overhead cable car (telepherique) that connected the town of Cavalese with the ski areas on Cermis Mountain. One car of the aerial tramway fell 260 feet, killing all 20 people in the car. The operator on the other car was trapped in the air for at least an hour.
I remember how upset the Italian people were. Because of NATO treaties, the pilot and the navigator were charged with manslaughter. The pilot was acquitted and charges against the navigator were dropped. The Marine Corps then court-martialed both men on lesser charges. They received dishonorable discharges and the pilot was sentenced to prison for six months.
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