Yesterday, an 81 years old Junkers Ju-52 of Ju-Air crashed in the Swiss Alps killing all 20 people on board.
The airplane crashed on the Piz Segnas on 2540m over sea level.
Update, 05.08.18, 17:00 MEZ:
All 17 passengers and 3 crew member died. With 20 casualties, it’s one of the worst plane crashes in Switzerland in this century. It’s reported that the plane probably crashed almost vertically to the ground. At the time of the crash there were unusually high temperatures but a perfect view. The pilots were very experienced. It is unlikely that the heat was the main factor for the crash. JU-AIR has now only 2 flying JU-52 left. There was no black box on board the flight, but there are some few eye witnesses that may be helpful for the investigation. There also haven’t been any reports about technical problems lately. The pilot had almost 1000 flight hours in the JU-52, which is a lot for such an airplane.
First information, 05.08.2018, 08:00 MEZ
There are no news about any victims, injuries or the cause yet. The plane has a capacity for up to 17 people. It is very likely that the plane was fully loaded. We’re expected to learn more today, as there is a press conference planed by the local authorities as well as the STSB (Swiss Transportation Investigation Safety Board).
It is speculated that the crash could have something to do with the extreme and unusual heat we have had here over the last weeks.
The plane we’re talking about (registration HB-HOT) has quite a history. In 1937 it began its service in the Swiss Air Force. 1968 we saw the plane in the movie „Where Eagles Die“, featuring Clint Eastwood. And in 2008, it appeared in „Valkyrie“, featuring Tom Cruise.
This was not the only plane crash in Switzerland yesterday. A Socata TB-10 crashed in the canton of Nidwalden, carrying a family of 4, including two children. Sadly, there were no survivors.
A deadly plane crash is always a catastrophe, no matter the size of the plane. But it’s also a chance to learn something out of it to prevent that it will happen again.
Sources, inkl. pictures (German):
