Vitaly Kaloyev is a convicted murderer and former architect from Russia. He was found guilty of the meticulously planned killing of an air traffic controller after his family died aboard on July 1, 2002.

Two airplanes collided over a German town close to the Swiss border, and the air traffic controller was responsible. The collision killed 71 people, the majority of whom were Russian schoolchildren.

Background Story

Vitaly Kaloyev had lost his wife, Svetlana Kaloyeva, as well as their two children, Konstantin, 10, and Diana, 4, in the Überlingen mid-air collision that happened in July 2002.

He reportedly had a nervous breakdown after the death of his family.

Vitaly Kaloyev helped in searching the body and discovered a shattered pearl necklace belonging to his daughter, Diana. Svetlana's body was discovered in a cornfield, while Konstantin's body was discovered on the tarmac in front of an Überlingen bus stop.

Kaloyev spent the first year following the disaster visiting his family's graves and erecting a shrine to them in his home.

He asked the head of Skyguide about seeing the controller who was responsible for the disaster during the mourning service for the first anniversary of the incident, but he received no response.

Kaloyev then hired a private investigator in Moscow to locate the air traffic controller's address.

Kaloyev Pays The Air Traffic Controller, Peter Nielsen, A Visit

Kaloyev went to Peter Nielsen's home in Kloten, Switzerland on the afternoon of 24 February 2004. When he came to Peter's house, he sat in the garden instead of going inside his house.

After seeing the intruder, Peter stepped outside and inquired about his needs.

His wife tried to call his kids back but they followed him into the garden as well. She was still inside when she heard a "sort of scream." In front of his wife and three kids, Nielsen was stabbed multiple times and ultimately passed away from his wounds.

In response to the judge's queries, Kaloyev stated that the airplane crash had made his life miserable.

"I have been living in the cemetery for about two years, sitting beside their graves," Kaloyev said.

The Trial and Sentencing

Kaloyev was found guilty of murdering Nielsen on 26 October 2005, and was given an eight-year prison term.

After completing two-thirds of his term and receiving parole, Kaloyev was freed from prison on November 8th, 2007.

Kaloyev Back in Russia

When Kaloyev returned to his hometown in Russia, he was welcomed by jubilant people who applauded him as a hero.

Many Russians appeared to agree with him and thought Kaloyev had carried out a heroic deed in retaliation for the loss of his family.

People calling me a killer doesn't really upset me. Those who say that would betray their own family and nation... My children's reputations and memories were preserved.

 

He is nothing to me. He is nothing to me. He paid the price for being an idiot with his life. It wouldn't have happened this way if he had been smarter. The conversation would have taken place in milder tones if he had invited me into the house, and the tragedy might not have occurred.

-----Mr. Vitaly Kaloyev

The Swiss government demanded that Kaloyev refund the costs of his detention, which totaled roughly $170,000. Kaloyev, on the other hand, has refused.

Kaloyev remarried in 2012 or 2013, more than a decade after the airplane disaster, to a lady called Irina Dzarasova. Irina gave birth to twins on December 25, 2018, a boy named Maxim and a girl named Sofia.

Recognitions

Aftermath (2017), a film featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a character based on Kaloyev, is partly based on the Überlingen midair crash.

Unforgiven (2018), a Russian film, is based on the Überlingen midair collision, and Dmitry Nagiyev plays Kaloyev.