RAMSTEIN, AIRCRAFT COMMEMORATES THE VICTIMS

The ceremony was attended by General Gabriele Salvestroni, General Alberto Biavati and a delegation from the 313th ‘PAN’ Group. It was August 28, 1988, and the ‘Frecce Tricolori’ display was taking place as part of the ’Airshow Flugtag “88’. That summer afternoon 25 years ago, which still today represents one of the saddest moments in the history of the Armed Forces, hundreds of wounded were counted and seventy people lost their lives. Among these were the pilots of the three aircraft involved: Lieutenant Colonel Mario Naldini, Lieutenant Colonel Ivo Nutarelli and Captain Giorgio Alessio. The accident, despite the tragic fatality that determined it, represented for the Aeronautica Militare and for all the crews of the National Acrobatics Patrol that succeeded one after another a moment of constant reflection so that, in the future, every possible effort would be devoted to the primary objective of safety. Following the awareness that had grown regarding what had happened, thanks to the work of the commissions that investigated the dynamics of the incident, the training standards were further raised in subsequent years, within the framework of a constructive debate that led, also on an international level, to the adoption of measures that today allow the recurrence of similar tragic events. A similar ceremony was also held at the base of Rivolto (UD), headquarters of the 313th Acrobatic Training Group, where military personnel in service, former and their families, gathered to pay a respectful tribute to the memory of the three pilots who disappeared. Speech by the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force