On August 21st, 1990, at 7h47, unit 060-EA-001, while pulling the Rapid 24 express train - second part*, on the Sighisoara - Brasov section, collides head-on with
80-0601-7 diesel locomotive between Augustin and Apata stations at kilometre 218-900.
The accident is due to serious violations of the regulations and service instructions. Mr Emil Rotaru, employee of the Augustin station in charge of railway traffic management, decides to send
80-0601-7 diesel locomotive on the main railway line, using the second of the two lines, to Ormenis stop as a ride for the cashier of Augustin station who finished her shift and had no other means of transportation. The diesel locomotive is driven by mechanic Trif Sorin, 37 years old, and assistant mechanic Ghimes Cosmin, 23 years old. They accepted the mission without a running order.
After falsely communicating to his colleague from Apata station that "he has to manoeuvre a convoy of wagons and will exceed the station limit", Emil Rotaru registers the course on the light diagram and dispatches the diesel locomotive. Soon after, he leaves his desk to go to the toilet and on the way back he stops to chat with acquaintances and forgets all about the dispatched locomotive.
During this time, another employee, Ms Sylvester Edith, takes charge of traffic management despite the fact that she is not authorised to do so.
As Rapid 24 is approaching Augustin station, where it is intended to pass non-stop to Apata station, Ms Sylvester Edith, after receiving the consignment note from Racos station, authorises the convoy to continue its route on the second line, although she saw that the third block sector to Apata station is occupied (but assumed erroneously that there is another train going towards Apata station). Rapid 24 passes through Augustin station and leaves it with a yellow signal triggered by the automatic line section management system that detected the occupied sector further ahead. The mechanic slows the convoy down to 90 km/h.
During this time, the
80-0601-7 diesel locomotive, after dropping off the cashier at the Ormenis stop, heads back at maximum speed (around 95 km/h) to Augustin station, also on the second line, the same line on which Rapid 24 is now fast approaching. In addition, so as not to be slowed down by the automatic line section management system (BLA - "Bloc de Linie Automat") and the red signals triggered by the system, the mechanics cut it off inside the diesel locomotive (normally, the diesel locomotive should have stopped at every signal with the possibility to continue its route at a maximum speed of 15 km/h).
The frontal collision is inevitable. The mechanics on the 060-EA-001 electric locomotive are the first to notice the other locomotive fast approaching on the same line from the opposite direction. They initiate the emergency braking procedure, disconnect the pantograph and the locomotive circuit breaker and take refuge in the engine room. They manage to reduce the train speed by about 30 km/h before impact, at around 60 km/h. With delay, the mechanics of the diesel locomotive also notice the express train in front of them and initiate the emergency braking procedure but due to the small distance between the two railway vehicles, the impact can no longer be avoided.
As a result of this serious accident, both mechanics of the diesel locomotive are killed while the mechanics on the electric locomotive are only slightly injured. Among the passengers, two women and a little girl are injured, all three sited in the first wagon of the express train.
Mr Emil Rotaru and Ms Sylvester Edith, the employees of the Augusting railway station, are found guilty of causing the accident and are sentenced to prison.
The diesel locomotive is declared a total loss and is scrapped on the accident site.
060-EA-001 electric locomotive is transported to Brasov depot with the intention to be repaired, but the damage is too extensive and is also scrapped at a later date, with components being used as parts for other electric locomotives of the same series.
In 1991, as a tribute to 060-EA-001, it is initially intended to move the number plates and re-number unit
060-EB-001, at the time being reconfigured as a
Class 41 electric locomotive by
Electroputere Craiova, but finally this unit enters service at Brasov depot with registration
41-0931-0.
Another locomotive, unit
41-0931-0 (the before last new locomotive to be delivered by
Electroputere Craiova to
Romanian State Railways - CFR in 1991) receives at Brasov depot the registration plates
41-0001-2 (the locomotive is spotted in 1994 in Brasov railway station
).
After a few years, registration
41-0001-2 will be re-attributed to unit
41-0009-5 (initially registered 060-EA-009, the 9th unit from the first batch of 10x units delivered by
ASEA between 1965 and 1967) as the registration numbers are switched between the two locomotives.
*Due to high affluence or delays caused by very long journeys, some passenger services benefited from two or more consists covering totally or partially the initial route. For example, as D 262/263 "Orient Express" from Bucharest to Wien used to register delays of several hours, a second consist from Hungary, D 11262, ran in front in order to respect the initial schedule. In France, in the 1960s and 1970s, the "night Capitole" between Paris Austerlitz and Toulouse Matabiau had on Fridays up to five different consists in order to meet the high demand. In Germany many express trains ("D-Züge") were preceded by a train covering the same journey ("Vorzug") roughly 15 minutes before and followed by another train ("Nachzug") approximately 15 minutes after.