Switzerland: 20 people die in crash of Oldtimer airplane

On a panoramic flight in the Swiss Alps, the machine crashed against a mountain. All the occupants died. It was the second crash within a few days.

Switzerland: 20 people die in crash of Oldtimer airplane

In crash of a classic car airplane, 20 people died in Switzerland. According to police, almost 80 year old machine in canton of Graubünden crashed at a height of 2,450 meters on a mountain. The Junkers Ju 52 aircraft belonged to Ju-air, a company that offers adventure flights. The type of aircraft – popularly known as Aunt Ju – is often booked for birthdays or anniversaries of families, companies or organizations.

According to police, 17 passengers and three crew members were on board during accident. According to NZZ, re are eight couples and four individuals from cantons of Zurich, Thurgau, Schwyz, Vaud and Lower Austria. The victims are between 42 and 84 years old.

According to Swiss authority for flight accident investigations, it should be said from wreckage that machine "bounced to ground almost vertically and at a relatively high speed". The person who rented machine at time of crash is not known yet.

Collision with obstacle excluded

According to police, machine had not dropped an emergency call before crash. A representative of Ju-air stressed that aircraft had been serviced regularly and had been in a technically flawless condition. The pilots were experienced professional and military pilots with more than 30 years of flying experience. Ju-air can "not yet explain" tragic accident. However, according to current information, it could be ruled out that aircraft crashed due to a collision with an obstacle such as a power line or anor aircraft. It is also clear that aircraft did not break apart in air.

Swiss media quoted flight experts with speculation that Heat could have played a role in disasters. In case of heat, air is thinner, which affects power of machines. It was second aircraft accident in Switzerland within a few days: on Saturday at Hergiswil, about ten kilometers south of Lucerne, anor plane crashed. A family of four with two minor children died.

Date Of Update: 06 August 2018, 12:00