1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:08,160 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, Hello and Welcomed. This Day in History Class 3 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:10,799 Speaker 1: a show that pays tribute to people of the past 4 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:15,600 Speaker 1: by telling their stories. Today, I'm Gaye Lousier and in 5 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: this episode, we're reflecting on the day when four American 6 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:23,200 Speaker 1: pilots took a careless joy ride through the Italian Alps 7 00:00:23,239 --> 00:00:33,560 Speaker 1: and caused the death of twenty innocent people. The day 8 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: was February third. Twenty civilians were killed when a US 9 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:44,240 Speaker 1: military jet severed the cable of a ski lift while 10 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:49,160 Speaker 1: flying recklessly low in the Italian Alps. The accident occurred 11 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 1: at the alpay Churmese ski resort, close to the town 12 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: of Cavalizi in the Dolomite Mountains. When the cable was cut, 13 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: a ski lift tramp crashed to the ground, claiming the 14 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:07,040 Speaker 1: lives of all nineteen passengers and the operator. In Italy, 15 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:12,679 Speaker 1: the incident became known as the massacre of Surmise. Earlier 16 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 1: that day, a twin engine Prowler aircraft belonging to the 17 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:21,839 Speaker 1: US Marine Corps left the Aviano Air Base in northeastern Italy. 18 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: The four man crew consisted of the pilot, Captain Richard Ashby, 19 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:33,399 Speaker 1: his navigator, Captain Joseph Schweitzer, and two electronic warfare officers, 20 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 1: Captain William Rainey and Captain Chandler Seagraves. The plane was 21 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 1: dispatched on a routine assignment and was to serve as 22 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 1: the final training flight before Ashby was promoted to fighter pilot. 23 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 1: It should have been an uneventful flight, but the cruise 24 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:54,840 Speaker 1: apparent disregard for military regulations ensured it would be anything but. 25 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 1: During the training mission, the four marine officers decided to 26 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: per form low altitude flight maneuvers over a populated ski resort. 27 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: To be clear, these quote top gun antics, as they 28 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,760 Speaker 1: were later called, we're not part of the flight schedule. 29 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 1: In fact, the alpine valley near Cavalize where they were flying, 30 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: was completely off limits to the pilots. It was a 31 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:24,080 Speaker 1: popular area for skiing, and its many small villages and 32 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 1: ski slopes attracted visitors from all over the world. Even 33 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 1: the most inexperienced pilot would know that's not the kind 34 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:34,799 Speaker 1: of area in which a plane should be flown at 35 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 1: virtually ground level, and that's not much of an exaggeration either. 36 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 1: The Prowler aircraft, whose call sign was Easy One, flew 37 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:47,920 Speaker 1: through the valley near Cavaliezi at just a hundred and 38 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 1: ten meters or three hundred and sixty ft above the ground, 39 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:56,799 Speaker 1: far below the two thousand foot altitude restriction of the area. 40 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:59,640 Speaker 1: The plane was also flying more than a hundred miles 41 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: per hour, were faster than regulations permitted. When the Easy 42 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 1: One struck the supporting cable lines of the ski lift, 43 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:10,440 Speaker 1: it was going six hundred and twenty one miles per hour. 44 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: One of the crew members in the back seat would 45 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:16,639 Speaker 1: later tell a prosecution team that when the jet cut 46 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 1: the cable, Captain Ashby had been doing a barrel roll. 47 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:25,640 Speaker 1: The collision occurred at about three pm. When the support 48 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 1: cable was severed, a bright yellow cable car plunged two 49 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 1: hundred and sixty feet onto the rocks and snow below. 50 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: All twenty occupants died almost instantly. A second ski gondola 51 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: was left dangling from the cable, but thankfully it's lone 52 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:48,120 Speaker 1: occupant was later rescued, shaken but unharmed. The accident took 53 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 1: the lives of ski enthusiasts from all over Europe, including 54 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 1: eight Germans, five Belgians, three Italians, two Poles, one Dutch 55 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 1: citizen and one Austrian as for the Easy One. The 56 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 1: plane sustained damage to its wing and tail, but continued 57 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: flying and eventually returned safely to base. Court documents later 58 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: revealed that once the plane had landed, the back seat 59 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:19,040 Speaker 1: officers Rainy and Sea Graves got off right away. Meanwhile, 60 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 1: Schweitzer and Ashby stayed behind. When they were alone on board, 61 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: they took the videotape that had recorded the flight and 62 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:31,120 Speaker 1: replaced it with a blank one. The same documents also 63 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:34,479 Speaker 1: showed that Schweitzer later took the tape to an alley 64 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:39,480 Speaker 1: behind a bar and burned it. Meanwhile, Italian officials spent 65 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:42,680 Speaker 1: the rest of the day and night recovering the bodies 66 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:47,320 Speaker 1: of twenty people. Graphic photos of the crushed gondola and snowy, 67 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:51,960 Speaker 1: blood stained ridge appeared in newspapers and TV reports all 68 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:57,360 Speaker 1: over the world, sparking outrage. Local residents and officials spoke 69 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:01,039 Speaker 1: on Italian TV the night of the accident. They referred 70 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:04,880 Speaker 1: to what happened as quote inevitable due to the U. S. 71 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: Military's illegal practice of flying too low in the Shermese Valley, 72 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:14,600 Speaker 1: something they say had happened several times before. One regional 73 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 1: official Carlo Enceolatti told reporters, quote, this was a tragedy 74 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:23,960 Speaker 1: just waiting to happen, one we have been frightened would happen. 75 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: Both the province and Cavalizi town council have repeatedly and 76 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:33,919 Speaker 1: regularly complained about the danger of these military flights. Some 77 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 1: of these planes even amused themselves by flying in below 78 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:42,599 Speaker 1: the cable car lines. In the weeks that followed, the 79 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 1: Italian and US governments both launched criminal investigations into what 80 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:52,120 Speaker 1: became known as the Cavalize cable car disaster. President Bill 81 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:55,680 Speaker 1: Clinton apologized to the families of the victims and assured 82 00:05:55,720 --> 00:06:00,479 Speaker 1: them justice would be served. However, in accordance with NATO rules, 83 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:04,479 Speaker 1: U S courts didn't have jurisdiction over the case, and 84 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: neither did Italian officials. The case could only be tried 85 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:13,320 Speaker 1: by the US military. This led to widespread concern that 86 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:16,280 Speaker 1: the men involved in the accident would be shielded from 87 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:20,200 Speaker 1: the full consequences of their actions, a fear that sadly 88 00:06:20,240 --> 00:06:25,640 Speaker 1: proved justified. At first. All four officers were charged with crimes, 89 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 1: with Ashby, who had manned the controls, facing a total 90 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:33,039 Speaker 1: of more than two centuries in a military prison. In 91 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:36,880 Speaker 1: the end, only Schweitzer and Ashby were recommended for general 92 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:41,960 Speaker 1: court martial. In early the two men appeared in a 93 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:46,880 Speaker 1: military court at Camp Lejourne on twenty counts of involuntary 94 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:52,719 Speaker 1: manslaughter and negligent homicide. The captain's defense lawyers argued that 95 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:55,960 Speaker 1: the crew hadn't been given up to date flight directives 96 00:06:56,240 --> 00:06:59,039 Speaker 1: or even maps that showed the location of ski lift 97 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:03,560 Speaker 1: cable lines. As a result, they were allegedly unaware of 98 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:07,120 Speaker 1: the most recent speed restrictions or of their proximity to 99 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:11,160 Speaker 1: a populated area. As for their flaunting of that two 100 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:15,840 Speaker 1: thousand foot altitude restriction, well that wasn't their fault either, 101 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: because the plane's altimeter had malfunctioned. After a two month trial, 102 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:26,120 Speaker 1: the plane's pilot and navigator were both acquitted of criminal charges. 103 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:30,920 Speaker 1: Although they had admitted to flying too low and too fast, 104 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:34,640 Speaker 1: The jury felt that the evidence presented showed that blame 105 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:37,720 Speaker 1: for the accident was shared among many others in the 106 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 1: Marine Corps chain of command. Because of that, they decided 107 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:46,120 Speaker 1: not to hold the flight crew criminally responsible. That said, 108 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:50,720 Speaker 1: Ashby and Schweitzer were court martialed again that year on 109 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:55,000 Speaker 1: charges of obstructing justice by destroying the video evidence of 110 00:07:55,040 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 1: their flight. Both were found guilty and dismissed from the 111 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 1: Marine Corps, and Ashby was sentenced to six months in 112 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: military prison. Four months into his term, he was released 113 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:12,040 Speaker 1: on good behavior. In terms of victim compensation, Italy paid 114 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:15,120 Speaker 1: one point nine million dollars for each of the twenty 115 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:19,600 Speaker 1: lives lost. As for the US, President Clinton had promised 116 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 1: monetary compensation to victims of the disaster, South Carolina Senator 117 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:28,080 Speaker 1: strom Thurman trying to follow through on that by introducing 118 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:30,760 Speaker 1: a bill that would have established a forty million dollar 119 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:36,520 Speaker 1: fund for the victims families. Congress ultimately rejected the proposal. However, 120 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:41,160 Speaker 1: NATO treaty rules later compelled the US government to send 121 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:45,880 Speaker 1: Italy over twenty eight million dollars in victim compensation. By 122 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:49,559 Speaker 1: most reckonings, the families of the dead did not receive 123 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:54,240 Speaker 1: the justice they deserved. Instead, the offending nation gave them 124 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:58,760 Speaker 1: a compulsory cash payment, along with some televised sympathy and 125 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:01,199 Speaker 1: a trial an amounted to a little more than a 126 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:05,120 Speaker 1: slap on the wrist. More than two decades have passed 127 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:09,280 Speaker 1: since the massacre of Surmise. It's remembered today as an 128 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:13,880 Speaker 1: act of tragic recklessness, a lingering grief for those affected, 129 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:20,280 Speaker 1: and a lasting disgrace to those responsible. I'm Gay Bluesier 130 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:23,680 Speaker 1: and hopefully you now know a little more about history 131 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:27,400 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. If you'd like to keep 132 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:30,880 Speaker 1: up with the show, you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, 133 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:35,640 Speaker 1: and Instagram at t d i HC Show. You can 134 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:38,440 Speaker 1: also leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, and you 135 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:41,240 Speaker 1: can write to us at this day at I heart 136 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:45,360 Speaker 1: media dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show, 137 00:09:45,679 --> 00:09:48,280 Speaker 1: and thank you for listening. I'll see you back here 138 00:09:48,320 --> 00:10:01,280 Speaker 1: again tomorrow for another day in History Class. Yeah. For 139 00:10:01,360 --> 00:10:03,480 Speaker 1: more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the I heart 140 00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:06,080 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 141 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:06,760 Speaker 1: favorite shows.