- A week after a Swiss aircraft made an emergency landing in Austria, a Swiss crew member died. The airline announces this.
- Meanwhile, the Graz public prosecutor’s office initiated an investigation. The case involves possible negligent bodily harm, according to the authorities.
Out of consideration for the relatives, Swiss did not want to provide any details about the cause of death of the young man, who was part of the cabin crew of flight LX1885 in the Airbus A220 from the Romanian capital Bucharest to Zurich. He had been in the intensive care unit in the hospital in Graz since the emergency landing on Monday last week.
«We are all deeply shocked by the death of our valued colleague. The news leaves us deeply sad and stunned,” said Swiss CEO Jens Fehlinger, according to a press release.
The second crew member, who had also been treated at the Graz University Hospital, was able to leave the hospital in the meantime.
The short-haul Airbus A220 aircraft from Bucharest to Zurich had to make an emergency landing on December 23rd with engine problems and smoke in the cockpit and cabin. The occupants on the ground were evacuated via the emergency slides. According to Swiss, five crew members and twelve of the 74 passengers sought medical treatment after the incident.
Investigations into negligent bodily harm
Meanwhile, the Graz public prosecutor’s office initiated an investigation into possible negligent bodily harm. The investigation that has been initiated serves to clarify the cause of the accident, as a spokesman for the Graz public prosecutor’s office said. Accordingly, a flight expert is supposed to determine why the plane that took off from Bucharest produced so much smoke that it was necessary to abort the flight.
The final criminal judgment depends largely on the results of the expert report, said the authority spokesman.
Technical defect in the engine is likely
There has so far been no information about the exact cause of the incident. Based on initial findings, the likely cause was a technical defect in one of the engines, Swiss said. According to the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (Bazl), the aircraft and engine manufacturers have been informed.
The Airbus A220 aircraft has repeatedly had engine problems in the past. In incidents, parts of the engine were thrown outwards due to a malfunction, among other things. The incidents caused, among other things, temporary operational halts, which also affected Swiss.
