1651287702 Chronicle Crashed plane recovered from sea

Chronicle: Crashed plane recovered from sea

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On Thursday night, the small plane that crashed near Staad on Lake Constance was pulled out of the water up to its knees. The body of the 72-year-old pilot who died in the accident had already been recovered from the wreck.

04/28/2022 15:59

April 28, 2022 3:59 pm (Update: yesterday 12:17 pm)

On Thursday night, the body of the deceased pilot was transported by helicopter from the crash site to the coast. The wreck was then pulled out of the water and brought ashore to be examined by the specialists who were called in. So far there is no explanation for the cause of the accident.

Photo series with 5 photos

The plane crashed into Lake Constance near Staad in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen shortly after taking off from Altenrhein airport on Thursday at around 2:35 pm. According to police, the pilot may have been traveling alone and died. Rescue teams were able to find the pilot dead in the wreck lying in knee-deep water, cantonal police said in the evening. This is a 72-year-old Swiss, so far there is no evidence of other passengers.

Airplane recovered from Lake Constance

On Thursday night, the small plane that crashed near Staad on Lake Constance was pulled out of the water up to its knees. The body of the 72-year-old pilot who died in the accident had already been recovered from the wreck.

Dropped into the water up to the knee

The small plane took off from Altenrhein Airport in the afternoon. Shortly after, the pilot reported technical problems. He then received landing clearance to return to the airport. Upon returning, the plane crashed into Lake Constance about 50 meters from the shore.

Photo series with 3 photos

sink in the water

Guangzhou Police St. Gallen The plane fell into the water up to the knee

Drone footage of the crash site

Canton Police of St. Gallen Drone footage shows the crash site in front of the Staad about 50 meters off the coast

Rescuers at the wreckage of the plane

Maurice Shourot Rescuers were only able to find the dead pilot in the wreckage of the plane

As is customary with airline accidents, the investigation is being conducted under the direction of the Swiss attorney general. The District Attorney of St. Gallen ordered the first measurements on the spot. Swiss Fedpol sent a liaison officer to support the investigation and coordinate with federal authorities on the ground.

Small plane crashed into Lake Constance

After taking off from Altenrhein airport, a plane crashed into Lake Constance near Staad on Thursday. According to initial information from the cantonal police, it is a small aircraft. The number of people on board is still unknown, the wreck is in knee-deep water.

The Swiss Safety Investigation Board (STSB) is responsible for determining the cause of the accident.

Already in February 2021 accident in front of the Staad

A little over a year ago, a small plane near Staad crashed into Lake Constance. On February 18, 2021, the pilot misinterpreted an instrument display during the instrument approach to St. Gallen-Altenrhein and did not notice her sinking, according to the SUST summary report. The 70-year-old therefore missed the last possible moment to move on.

At the time, the pilot was lucky in his misfortune: he managed to free himself from the wreck and hold on to the wreckage in the cold sea. A fisherman rescued him with his boat. The pilot was taken to hospital with hypothermia. The plane sank in the lake. It was recovered from a depth of over 80 meters in May 2021.