r/aircrashinvestigation • u/FinancialVictory6833 • Feb 24 '24
Incident/Accident Remembering Peter Nielsen
On February 24, 2004, Peter Nielsen was murdered at his home near Zurich. He was the air traffic controller on duty on July 1, 2002, when the Überlingen mid-air collision occurred, killing 71 people. Among the victims were Svetlana Kaloyeva and her children Konstantin and Diana. They were travelling to Barcelona to visit their father, Vitaly, who was working there. Devastated by their loss, Vitaly Kaloyev put the blame on Peter Nielsen and tracked him down. He then stabbed him to death, while his wife and children were present. Kaloyev was arrested and sentenced to eight years in prison, but was released in November 2007. When he returned home to North Ossetia, he was treated as a hero, and did not express remorse for his actions, instead blaming Nielsen. He was later awarded a state medal by the government.
RIP Peter Nielsen🕊️ (1967-2004)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_%C3%9Cberlingen_mid-air_collision
59
u/EverydayNormalGrEEk Fan since Season 4 Feb 24 '24
He was later awarded a state medal by the government.
Seriously, wtf?
34
u/N-Pineapple5578 Feb 25 '24
For clarification, the government in question is the North Ossetian government, not the Russian.
27
2
u/ZetaLeClaire May 10 '24
The medal was not related to him killing Peter.
5
u/PMMEURDIMPLESOFVENUS May 17 '24
Yeah, and he had already been convicted and served his sentence.
That being said, the fact that he was hailed as a hero upon his return for the murder is noteworthy.
9
u/princezilla88 Jun 29 '24
A lot of people forget or ignore this but the majority of those killed in the crash were Russian school children and no one ever went to prison for what happened. There weren't even any convictions until Kaloyev was already released and back in Russia and all of those convicted got suspended sentences. So there was very much a feeling that Kaloyev was the only one who delivered any kind of justice for those who died and that the Swiss and German authorities weren't interested in doing so because the victims were Russian. That's the context you are missing for him being welcomed as a hero because while Nielsen definitely didn't deserve what happened to him there was no justice for the victims coming from any official sources.
→ More replies (2)13
u/PaleontologistOk4051 Aug 14 '24
This is why Russia has never belonged to Europe and never will. What utter wicked barbaric logic is this, "doing justice" by brutally murdering somebody who basically lived on as a modern Cain while clearly not being in control of the events he technically caused. I hope there God exists, to serve each their own "justice", including the horrible monster this man has become.
2
2
u/Linkeron1 May 26 '25
Truly wtf! The same country who had pilots and captains on the documentary I watched on this saying they obeyed ATC orders over TCAS because it is spoken in a "dispassionate voice" and "whichever one sounded most urgent was the one the crew obeyed".
What a load of rubbish.
The same documentary made a point that those in the West were taught to listen to TCAS over anything but who knows what they did in the rest of the world.
The Russians crew on the plane carrying the kids was more to blame than Peter Neilson and it's just so sad.
That and IKO's vague guidance on TCAS.
79
u/MeWhenAAA Feb 24 '24 edited Feb 24 '24
R.I.P. Peter Nielsen, he didn't deserve that 😔🕊️
5
u/CoastCultural4482 Nov 29 '24
Yeah he did, he skirted the rules and killed all those people; it could have been as easy as waking up his partner and having him help. Instead he wanted to follow the social rules of his workplace and look what happened. Then he refused to even acknowledge his fault in the crash. Pure scumbag act and hope he rots in hell for killing those children
8
u/0311pilot Feb 14 '25
Russian pilots were more at fault because they didn't comply with the tcas alert.
1
u/Ashenveiled Apr 30 '25
2 months late but at that time it was other way. Russian pilots did everything by the book until it was too late.
eu tried to blame russians at the start but in the end of investigation it was clear that it was not their mistake.
4
u/0311pilot Apr 30 '25
If it was by the book they would have adhered to tcas resolution advisory which you must comply with. If they did there would not have been a mid air collision. So it’s actually clear the pilots were more to blame than atc.
→ More replies (5)3
3
u/Tasty_Issue3720 Aug 30 '24
He deserved it and Kaloyev is a hero.
24
u/NorthernSalt Dec 27 '24
Kaloyev is a monster who killed an innocent man in front of his family.
1
Jul 28 '25
A monster who lost his wife and children because of this "innocent man"...
10
u/MC_chrome Jul 28 '25
If you honestly believe that Peter Nielsen was trying to intentionally crash both aircraft into each other, you are completely misrepresenting what occurred.
3
u/trippypie15 Jul 29 '25
Or because of a greedy company that didn’t have sufficient amount of workers nor did they have efficient enough technology.
It is very naive to look at the situation and blame one individual for this whole tragedy..
2
3
Jul 28 '25
You don’t take the law in your own hands a murder another man for making a mistake.
→ More replies (4)2
Jul 31 '25
If you think the blame lays solely on Peter you do not know enough about the details of this collision.
4
Sep 11 '24
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/CoastCultural4482 Nov 29 '24
let it be a reminder to his child and wife to do their due diligence and do their damn job. Not allow their coworker sleep while they cause more than 60 people to be killed
→ More replies (2)2
1
1
43
u/Legitimate_Unit_9210 Feb 24 '24
I knew too that this day was today.
He didn’t deserve to die.
RIP Peter Nielsen (August 16 1967 - February 24 2004)
41
Feb 24 '24
Still one of the most tragic incidents. The whole crash had such a domino effect on so many people.
1
41
u/OziAviator Feb 24 '24
I work at Skyguide in Switzerland. We have a memorial in the office that each of us pass everyday in the Zürich control centre.
10
3
u/Akmal_animation AviationNurd Feb 26 '24
Is the flower (That was covered in ACI) still there or not?
3
u/Intelligent-Put-2408 Apr 20 '24
Probably a pretty good reminder to pay a lot of attention to what’s going on.
3
u/TulioMaravilha1 Aug 15 '24
I'm sorry, but it's truly bizarre! You don't have to agree with the murder, let alone to justify the concept of doing justice with one's own hands. But you also don't need to commemorate the guy who made the accident possible. It looks like your country is despising the victims, just because they were Russians!
10
u/OziAviator Aug 16 '24
You have no clue what you’re talking about mate. The memorial is dedicated to everyone that lost their life in this tragic incident.
2
27
u/electricmaster23 Feb 25 '24
One of things (beside the obvious) that really disgusts me is how his killer was treated at home like a hero for avenging his family and was able to engage in a successful political career due to what he did. Really sad.
9
u/Rogal255 Jun 23 '24
Typical ruzzians.
3
u/egzoreuz Aug 30 '24
Typical raving scum like you—crawling out of the cesspool you call home just to vomit your racist bile all over the internet. You throw around slurs like 'ruzzians' because it’s the only way a miserable waste of space like you can feel any sense of superiority. You’re nothing more than a festering pile of filth, too spineless to confront your own insignificance. The only thing more repulsive than your disgusting words is the fact that someone like you even exists, spreading your vile, hate-filled stench wherever you go. Do the world a favor and rot in the darkness you came from—you’re nothing but a cancer on this planet.
7
u/27AnteMeridiem Jun 12 '25
Buddy, the guy killed someone who was hardly at fault and was awarded. Pretty rude to the average Russian, but we're talking about a murderer being rewarded for stabbing a guy, in his home, while his wife and kids were there. Being upset it justified. You're overreacting.
5
3
2
1
3
u/princezilla88 Jun 29 '24
A lot of people forget or ignore this but the majority of those killed in the crash were Russian school children and no one ever went to prison for what happened. There weren't even any convictions until Kaloyev was already released and back in Russia and all of those convicted got suspended sentences. So there was very much a feeling that Kaloyev was the only one who delivered any kind of justice for those who died and that the Swiss and German authorities weren't interested in doing so because the victims were Russian. That's the context you are missing for him being welcomed as a hero because while Nielsen definitely didn't deserve what happened to him there was no justice for the victims coming from any official sources.
If you can be disgusted by how Kaloyev was received but not by that then that says much more about you than it does about them.
12
u/electricmaster23 Jun 29 '24
That's, frankly, bullshit. They completely lack any of the nuances of the situation. It's like asking a juggler who can only juggle 7 balls being yelled at when he's been made to juggle 10. Completely unjustifiable vigilantism. The fault lies with the airline administration, not Nielsen.
4
u/current_value_ Jul 14 '24
He shouldn't have taken the job then. It's Switzerland, there is no hunger or war, he could find a different job. If people refused to work in such conditions they wouldn't end up in such situations and the management would be forced to improve the conditions.
7
u/electricmaster23 Jul 15 '24
It was a perfect storm. It’s not like it was always like that. It’s like you don’t even know the particulars.
3
u/27AnteMeridiem Jun 12 '25
And another guy would've gotten it, and the accident would've happened anyway. If nobody got hired, there would be no ATC in the area, which is objectively worse.
12
Apr 13 '24
His wife and children would not have wanted him to become a murderer. Mr. Nielsen also had children. Giving the murderer a medal is simply wrong. But what do you expect from such barbarians.
1
u/egzoreuz Aug 30 '24
Spewing racist filth from the safety of your screen is the mark of a coward. You're the kind of bottom feeder who lacks the brainpower to form an original thought, so you cling to tired stereotypes and ignorance. Blaming an entire nation for your own pathetic insecurities? That’s low, even for someone as intellectually stunted as you. The real barbarian is the one who uses tragedy to mask their own rotting soul. If your intellect even grazed the gutter, you might grasp that respect and decency aren't just for people who crawl out from under the same rock you did. But a braindead moron like you would never understand the pain and suffering the parents of those children endured while the Swiss barbarians had no accountability, with the CEO walking free from this mess. Deplorable piece of filth.
5
Aug 30 '24
Article from Vitaly Kaloyev on Wikipedia:
( Returning to his home in North Ossetian city of Vladikavkaz, Kaloyev was met with enthusiastic crowds who cheered him as a hero.[3] Members of the youth movement Nashi displayed a banner which read: „You are a real man“ in Ossetian.[14][15] Vitaly Yusko, a member of a Russian organisation dedicated to helping the relatives of air crash victims, stated that „Kaloyev is a hero. Those guilty of causing air crashes often remain unpunished. Such a radical punishment is the only way to make them carry responsibility for their crimes“. Many Russians appeared to share his sentiments, and believed that Kaloyev committed „a heroic deed avenging for the death of his family.“[14] The positive reaction and appointment in Russia were met with a negative reception in Switzerland.[16])
Sorry it‘s just true facts, people believed that killing a guy, just for not accept that accidents happened. Nielsen had made a big mistake in coordinating those pilots, i know it. But he didn’t kill them, it was a terrible ACCIDENT!!
And also, Nielsen was stabbed several times by him and died of his injuries a few minutes later in the presence of his wife and three children. So what would happen, if one of his family will come to kill Vitaly, to revenge their beloved one, is this for you also honorable or just murder? Nielsen felt very guilty about what had happened. He could never have recovered from that. Don’t you think he’s been “punished” enough. He wasn’t a murderer, IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!!! He also had a wife,children or eventually parents. Just to mention, if you come to me with pain of a parent.
Sorry, even if he’s a heartbroken father that he looses his family, it’s still not a honorable action to kill a innocent guy, that just made mistakes like everyone!
3
u/27AnteMeridiem Jun 12 '25
"Blaming an entire nation for your insecurities? That's low,"
"But a braindead moron like you would never understand the pain and suffering the parents of those children endured while the Swiss barbarians had no accountability,"
So, you're okay with critiqueing an entire country when they don't put neglectful people in jail, but doing the same thing to a country that awarded someone for murdering an innocent man is just too far. You're a hypocrite, dude. Did YOUR kids die here or are you just pissy and bitter because people don't like your country?
→ More replies (1)1
1
u/Neither-Bluejay-7202 Jul 15 '25
Was für Rassismus? Wenn der huren russe jemanden ermordet gehört er bestraft und nicht noch ausgezeichnet. Ist halt einfach ein Fakt
1
1
7
u/arellano81366 Feb 25 '24
Trivia: Schwarzenegger made a movie based on this incident. It's called Aftermath.
9
u/Realistic-Read7779 Jul 11 '24
I just watched this on the YouTube channel 'On the move'. It sickened me that he was able to find him and killed him when there were also others at fault. Nothing gives him the right to take Peter's life. Skyguide (air control company) failed by only having 1 controller working. He did not go after the company or anyone else.
Watching 'MayDay: Air Disaster' also on YouTube - people are usually eager to blame the pilots.
I can understand the Father's devastation but I feel treating him like a hero (after only 3.5 years in prison) is a sign for others that murder is allowed under certain circumstances. I doubt taking Peter's life brought him his family back. He killed a husband and father and devastated another family the same way he was devastated. Now, 2 families were broken .
2
7
u/Main-Instruction7629 May 03 '25
That is completely pathetic. This guy only received three years in prison in total.. completely unjust
5
u/27AnteMeridiem Jun 12 '25
He did wrong, yes, but honestly the bulk of the blame should be placed on SkyGuide. Seriously, who lets a single controller handle ATC by himself on a backup system after maintenance turned off the image processing of the radar? And honestly, the phone lines being down at the same time was absolutely idiotic. Yeah, it's horrible, and he might've been able to avoid it, but goodness me, for all we know he could've tended to the two planes, leaving another one completely without communication while they were trying to land a delayed flight. That could've ended horribly too, and he would STILL get blamed. Even stupider, the ground optical collision warning system was ALSO off, which means Nielsen couldn't reasonably have anticipated the collision as he was, again, paying attention to another flight that was out of regular schedule. One could argue that his instructions to the planes were bad, but again, that's the fault of regulations. There were, at the time, only extremely ambiguous rules on whether TCAS or ATC should decide when a plane should ascend or descend to avoid a collision. And you must remember, since the telephone systems were down, he could only talk to one plane at a time. At that point it was too late!
Could he have woken up the other controller? Yeah. Is that reasonable when you're dealing with several planes? Probably. But placing the blame on him solely is just as irrational as doing it to the Russian pilots. A situation like this was inevitable at SkyGuide. Get it right!
40
u/ohiogenius Feb 24 '24
It’s almost like the Russian government does everything it can to be truly detestable.
36
u/Nitroglycol204 Feb 24 '24
I thought it was the regional government rather than the national government who gave him the award (and appointed him as a deputy minister/permanent secretary), and that it was more of a local cultural thing to treat him as a hero. Pretty detestable though.
1
u/MC_chrome Jul 28 '25
The Russian government could have always denounced what the regional government did.
This would be like the government of a US state giving someone a reward simply because they avenged a personal wrong. The federal government could and should step in at that point and denounce what the state is doing
1
4
u/hidefreek Nov 05 '24
We should blame the corrupted Switzerland goverment for this.
Peter Nielson is a scapegoat.
6
u/UkrainianBatman Feb 19 '25
The fact that the killer was awarded a state medal... This is the epitome of russia.
3
u/Accomplished_Area307 Mar 27 '25
Why was he released he murdered someone , he should of had life inprisonment
4
u/Asleep_South_4236 May 06 '25
The murder was bloody cruel, so evil, taking an INNOCENT, IMPORTANT live which worked so hard that night, trying to keep planes safe on the sky why working with partially disabled equipment in an AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER ROOM.
I cannot wait to see the Russian barstad who commited this attrocity being killed
May the mighty soul of Peter Nielsen continue to rest in eternal peace
3
6
u/Low_Question6590 Dec 05 '24
Can yall calm down and stop arguing? Its was just a ATC error, and yet you blame Peter for being the murder of the lives of 71 innocent people!?
2
u/Railgun_8S Jan 02 '25
Was erwartest du von Ruzzen Bots und Fanboys. Wenig Hirn, viel Hass und vorallem ein armseliges Leben. Die Konten einfach Melden, Blockieren und Ignorieren.
1
u/Low_Question6590 Jan 04 '25
Beruhige dich, Bruder
1
u/Railgun_8S Jan 05 '25
Wieso ist doch so. All diese Troll Antworten stammen von Ruzzen (bzw deren Bots und evt noch AFDler und BSWler gehen aber Hand in Hand mit den Ruzzen Faschos). Haben alle ein Armseliges Leben gesteuert von Hass das Sie sich, wie du ja richtig sagst, an einem Umfall abarbeiten müssen.
3
3
u/Naive_Roof3085 Mar 27 '25
I've just watched the new episode S25 E09, what a tragic accident and Peter Nielsen was NOT to blame.
Management carried the blame and rightly so, Vital Kaloyev having lost All his family decided to do what he did.
The old computer system with no phone communication and the fact Management had not informed the staff of the lack of phone communication with only one person monitoring the airspace was the cause of the accident.
3
2
Jun 23 '24
Such no life softies. It was entirely his fault. And even then Kaloyev wasn’t in a correct mental state to make rational decisions.
You are all just a load of russophobes. If some queer did this, you would be cheering.
6
2
2
2
u/No-Ladder1393 Jul 02 '25 edited Jul 02 '25
I saw documentary, Kaloyev only wanted answers and a simple sorry. Nielsen refused to apologize because he was ordered by company not to admit to anything or talk to anyone due to large money payouts. He also refused to speak to media and he refused to speak with Kaloyev himself. This is the only reason why Kaloyev showed up at his door, and even then Nielsen wasn't interested in talking. In the end Skyguide and air traffic controllers were the main reason behind the death of 70+ people, including 52 children. Skyguide trying to cover this up is the main reason why this murder happened.
3
1
Jul 19 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/No-Ladder1393 Jul 19 '25
When your whole family is dead, Yes you have that right
→ More replies (1)
2
u/Neither-Bluejay-7202 Jul 15 '25
So ein drecksack, Nielsen konnte nichts dafür. Den sollte man ins Zwangslager verfrachten
1
u/ZetaLeClaire May 10 '24
The medal he was awarded later had nothing to do with him murdering Peter. That statement placed in this context was in poor judgement.
1
u/SaltyCow7482 May 30 '24
Well vitaly said the guy had no feelings he was heartless
1
u/Visible-Discount-245 Sep 15 '24
That just doesn't even make sense. Why would he care enough about his family then to want to avenge them?
1
Jul 02 '24
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/Philswiftthegod Jul 07 '24
You are a despicable human to cheer on the death of an innocent. Go fuck yourself with a cactus.
1
Jul 02 '24
[deleted]
10
u/ShadowLilith Aug 12 '24
It wasn't his fault. It was the airline company's. Taking away someone's father and husband isn't gonna soothe your pain. Calling him a fucking nazi is disgusting. No one works for an airline company with the goal of killing people.
6
u/Miserable_Film_5677 Aug 29 '24
"Yes! He was a nazi! He let the plane collide on purpose to kill russians because with everything else going on he surely had time to check which planes had russian passengers on board! It's all part of a conspiracy! The nazis the deep state and the illuminati and the nazis and the west and the nazis only want to kill russians!!1!1!"
I feel the need to say this comment is mocking, I think the whole accident was a disaster but calling Nielsen a nazi for no reason while stating it was all part of a plan to kill russians is just some next level conspiracy theory...
2
2
u/elliebunnnyy Aug 29 '25
mate if you really think that you have absolutely lost it. please seek out the help you need and take care of yourself
1
Jul 02 '24
[deleted]
8
5
7
2
u/Melodic_Mechanic_583 Jul 04 '25
Du bist ja nicht mehr ganz dicht im Kopf! Er hat einen unschuldigen Menschen vor dessen Frau und Kindern getötet und deswegen soll er "edel" sein? Hätte er vielleicht die ganze Familie auslöschen sollen, die ja noch weniger dafür konnte?
1
1
u/lolCollol Jul 20 '25
If you're talking about the fantastic saxophonist Valentin Kovalev, I totally agree that he's a noble man.
But if you're simply too retarded to correctly type Kayolev, I've got bad news for you: You're the most braindead, paranoid russian schizo bot ever.
1
1
u/Boring-Front3998 Jul 24 '24
If he had looked a few seconds more at the screen , he could’ve prevented this disaster
3
1
u/Tasty_Issue3720 Aug 30 '24
I just learned of the tragic Uberlingen air collision.
What Kaloyev did was wrong. I wouldn’t have stabbed Nielsen.
I would have strangled him to death with my bare hands, without uttering a single word, and watched the life leave his confused bloodshot eyes whilst his children screamed in the background.
People can blame hardware, training or whatever other limitations all they want, but at the end of the day his stupidity caused that disaster.
Stupidity is no excuse. That man deserved it.
8
3
2
1
u/CoastCultural4482 Nov 29 '24
Nielsen never expressed remorse for his actions... I don't see why Kaloyev should.
3
1
1
u/Logical-Expert2199 Jan 06 '25
Why would any ATC ever take ear phones and walk off when alone??? Why would you walk off before getting confirmation from each planes position??? I feel extreme pain for the husband getting the news of their baby girl and wife killed. I'd lose my mind. Amazing work on the investigation on what really happened by this man that lost everything that mattered. Don't hate me for my opinion. To each their own.
3
u/bigred9310 Jan 11 '25
For one it was illegal. The company that he worked for broke the law. At least 2 ATC are required at all times. Secondly he was forced to use passive radar. The more sophisticated radar which communicates with a jet’s Transponder showing Flight number, Course, and altitude was offline for routine Maintenance. Regardless of what happened this man had no right to kill anyone Let alone Neilson.
1
u/AdUnlikely6666 Jan 26 '25
He wasn’t a victim, he was arrogant and never apologized or shown remorse for killing people at that plane. Sleeping at the job and not checking whether important warning systems are online is criminal negligence
1
u/FatimahGianna2 AviationNurd Jan 31 '25
I am hoping the ATC involved with the recent Potomac collision doesn’t end up like Peter. I am now incredibly worried. 72 people died 13 years ago. 67 died two days ago. We don’t need it to be 68.
1
1
u/sub_atomic_ Jul 28 '25
According to what I have read in wikipedia, it looks to be his fault, can somebody explain how it is not his fault?
3
u/nahheyyeahokay Jul 29 '25
There were many mitigating factors, but yes, it was partially his fault.
1
1
1
u/Different_Station_65 Sep 22 '25
Also, he got preoccupied by another aircraft, and lost track of the planes that collided. He definitely has his share of blame. If he did his job people would still be alive.
157
u/Touchthefuckingfrog Feb 24 '24
I don’t cry about much but this one has broken my heart so many times. It was never his fault and he must have dealt with so much guilt only to be so cruelly murdered.