UNITED STATES vs. ASHBY

On February 3, 1998 a US Marine EA-6B Prowler jet flying a low-altitude mission near Cavalese, Italy struck a cable supporting a gondola transportation system operating across a wide valley. Twenty people died when the gondola fell, but the crew was able to land the damaged aircraft safely. Although the gondola system was not marked on the maps given to the air crew, and they were not aware of the system's presence, the US Government initiated court martial proceedings against the pilot and navigator. Visual Forensics was retained by the defense team to study the visual elements that contributed to the collision and to produce a computer simulation of the flight. The trial began on February 1999, and on March 4, 1999 Captain Richard Ashby was acquitted on all 20 counts of involuntary manslaughter.

Left - Visual Forensics created a detailed, accurate 3D computer model of the valley using satellite imagery and Italian three-dimensional survey data.

 

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