[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 183 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 183

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
   settlement of claims of citizens of the United States against the 
  Government of Germany with respect to the deaths of members of the 
 United States Air Force resulting from the collision off the coast of 
 Namibia of a German Luftwaffe aircraft with a United States Air Force 
                    aircraft on September 13, 1997.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 19, 1999

   Mr. Sanford (for himself, Mr. Goode, Mr. Hefley, Mr. Saxton, Mr. 
  Lampson, Mr. McInnis, Mr. Cunningham, Mr. DeLay, Mr. McGovern, Mr. 
Doyle, and Mr. Gilchrest) submitted the following resolution; which was 
          referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
   settlement of claims of citizens of the United States against the 
  Government of Germany with respect to the deaths of members of the 
 United States Air Force resulting from the collision off the coast of 
 Namibia of a German Luftwaffe aircraft with a United States Air Force 
                    aircraft on September 13, 1997.

Whereas on September 13, 1997, a German Luftwaffe Tupelov TU-154M 
        aircraft collided with a United States Air Force C-141 
        Starlifter aircraft off the coast of Namibia;
Whereas as a result of that collision nine members of the United States 
        Air Force were killed, namely: Staff Sergeant Stacey D. Bryant, 
        32, loadmaster, Providence, Rhode Island; Staff Sergeant Gary 
        A. Bucknam, 25, flight engineer, Oakland, Maine; Captain 
        Gregory M. Cindrich, 28, pilot, Byrans Road, Maryland; Airman 
        1st Class Justin R. Drager, 19, loadmaster, Colorado Springs, 
        Colorado; Staff Sergeant Robert K. Evans, 31, flight engineer, 
        Garrison, Kentucky; Captain Jason S. Ramsey, 27, pilot, South 
        Boston, Virginia; Staff Sergeant Scott N. Roberts, 27, flight 
        engineer, Library, Pennsylvania; Captain Peter C. Vallejo, 34, 
        aircraft commander, Crestwood, New York; and Senior Airman 
        Frankie L. Walker, 23, crew chief, Windber, Pennsylvania;
Whereas the Final Report of the Ministry of Defense to the Defense 
        Committee of the German Bundestag states unequivocally that, 
        following an investigation, the Directorate of Flight Safety of 
        the German Federal Armed Forces assigned responsibility for the 
        collision to the Aircraft Commander/Commandant of the Luftwaffe 
        Tupelov TU-154M aircraft for flying at a flight level that did 
        not conform to international flight rules;
Whereas the United States Air Force accident investigation report 
        concluded that the primary cause of the collision was the 
        Luftwaffe Tupelov TU-154M aircraft flying at an incorrect 
        cruise altitude;
Whereas procedures for filing claims under the Status of Forces 
        Agreement are unavailable to the families of the members of the 
        United States Air Force killed in the collision; and
Whereas the families of the members of the United States Air Force 
        killed in the collision have filed claims against the 
        Government of Germany: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
the Government of Germany should promptly agree to a fair settlement 
with, and promptly make payments under that settlement to, the families 
of the members of the United States Air Force killed in a collision 
between a United States Air Force C-141 Starlifter aircraft and a 
German Luftwaffe Tupelov TU-154M aircraft off the coast of Namibia on 
September 13, 1997.
                                 <all>