At 12:45 local time on May 15th, a GFD’s Learjet LJ-35A, crashed during takeoff at the Hohn Air Base in northern Germany, resulting in the death of both pilots.
According to a statement by Airbus Defence, as GFD is a subsidiary of the Group, the Learjet with registration D-CGF collided with the ground during takeoff, within the air base’s perimeter, killing the two onboard pilots.
Airbus and GFD are fully cooperating with authorities to determine the crash’s cause. The investigation is being led by the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchungen) in Braunschweig. The aircraft was leaving Hohn for a training mission with the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) air traffic controllers in northern Germany.
As the investigation progresses, GFD and Airbus will continue to provide updated information.
GDF: A Veteran Airbus Group Provider
GFD’s headquarters are located at the Hohn Bundeswehr air base, near Rendsburg. The company currently employs around 250 people across various German locations, over 100 of which are former German Air Force and Navy flight crew members. These members work at GFD as Learjet pilots or operators, as well as civil simulator instructors for Luftwaffe’s Eurofighter, Tornado, and A400M simulators.
This military aviation expertise is unique in Germany and ensures the delivery of reliable, high-quality service in the company’s two divisions, GFD Aviation and GFD Simulation.
GFD Aviation, with its fleet of 15 specially equipped Learjet 35A/36A types, primarily offers target simulation and flight inspection services. The aircraft are adapted for flight testing of various electronic warfare and intelligence pods.
In the Simulation division, GFD trains German Eurofighter, Tornado, and A400M pilots on demanding simulators for various types of mission scenarios, directly at their respective combat wings.
