Cologne carnivalist Griesemann flew ghost planes

The first reports on Sunday spoke of a “ghost plane” when a private plane apparently flies across Europe without a driver. The Cessna 551 still flies over the Baltic Sea and then crashes into the sea off the coast of Latvia. On Monday, the story of the mysterious flight shifted to the Rhineland and shocked the Cologne carnival: the Cologne entrepreneur and carnival enthusiast Peter Griesemann was on board the plane with his wife and daughter. Griesemann is said to have flown the plane. The daughter’s partner is also said to have been there. The family should have landed at Cologne-Bonn Airport in the evening. Several media reported.

Even if there is still no trace of the family, there is no longer any hope of being able to rescue them alive. Only the wreckage and debris of the aircraft were discovered on Monday night, according to the Latvian Sea Rescue Coordination Center. Meanwhile, the spokeswoman for the Latvian Navy, Liva Veita, reported on Monday that ten pieces of wreckage had been discovered in the sea. Another had previously been found on Sunday, she told the Latvian news agency Leta.

At the request of our editors, Christoph Kuckelkorn, President of the Cologne Festival Committee, said: “I am stunned by the sudden death of Peter Griesemann, his wife and daughter, my deepest sympathy goes to the family. Peter has moved a lot in the city over the decades, as an entrepreneur and as a carnival participant.” As long-time president, Griesemann led the Blaue Funken into a new era. The 72-year-old has been Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Festival Committee for the past five years. “Peter not only had expertise and entrepreneurial spirit, he also had a lot of heart for people and Fastelovend,” said Kuckelkorn. “Carnival and I personally have lost a valuable advisor and a loyal friend in him.” Carnival bands such as “Cat Ballou” and the “Funky Marys” expressed their dismay on social networks. Moderator Guido Cantz also responded with a “RIP” to a photo by Peter Griesemann.

The family wanted to fly from Jerez de la Frontera Airport in Andalusia to Cologne-Bonn on Sunday. According to media reports, she has a holiday home on the coast there. According to authorities in various European countries, the private jet, a Cessna 551, changed course en route to Cologne for an unknown reason. The “Bild” newspaper reported that the Cessna reported pressure problems in the cabin after takeoff.

“Already in French airspace, the aircraft was accompanied by an alarm team, and a German Eurofighter then took over,” a spokesman for the Air Force told our editorial team. An alarm squad usually consists of two Eurofighters, which can be anywhere in German airspace within a few minutes. They board when an aircraft cannot be reached by radio to clarify the situation. A Eurofighter then sits next to the plane’s cockpit and tries to make contact. This is done using internationally standardized visual signals between the crews, as the spokesman for the Air Force explains.

In France, however, the fighter pilots could not see anyone in the cockpit. It is possible that the occupants were already unconscious at this point. An aviation security expert told a Swedish news agency pressure problems may have caused passengers to lose consciousness. This can happen quickly, especially at altitudes where small aircraft are used. “The plane flew in a line through the airspace, the pilot will have turned on the autopilot,” said the spokesman for the air force. In Danish and Swedish airspace, other combat aircraft took over the escort. As long as there is an option for someone in the cabin to take action and intervene, all the Eurofighters can do is escort the aircraft. In the case of the Cessna 551, it eventually crashed when it ran out of fuel.

The Griesemann family was last in the public eye in May 2021. At that time, they acquired the extensive area of ​​the Dreilindenhof in the high Wachtberg-Niederbachem area for a seven-figure sum through the auction house Sotheby’s. Lisa Griesemann (26) and her partner wanted to realize their ideas of a riding stable on the approximately 20 hectare riding facility with 16 horse stables.

In order to put the project into practice themselves, the couple moved into the residential building on the site. A very good neighborly relationship has developed in the short time, said Dirk Schneider from the Broichhof, a long-established riding stable on the Rodderberg in Wachtberg-Niederbachem. We exchanged ideas and helped each other occasionally. That’s why he offered support if it was needed at the Dreilindenhof. “We are all deeply shocked. It’s a tragedy,” said Dirk Schneider.

The search operations continue to recover the remains of the plane and most likely the deceased people. “As soon as this work is completed, an appropriate active investigation into the plane accident will be launched,” Aivis Vincevs from the Latvian Civil Aviation Authority told Latvian Radio. It is not yet known which country will be responsible for investigating the accident, as the plane crashed into the sea and sank in neutral waters.

Ships of the Latvian Navy and the Border Guard are used for sea searches. According to Veita, a drone from the European Maritime Safety Agency was also involved in the search operation. On Tuesday, drones will also be used to search under water.