A week after the emergency landing of a Swiss plane in Austria, a crew member died Monday in a hospital in Graz, Austria. The Graz public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation.
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“This is a dark day for all of us,” said Jens Fehlinger, CEO of Swiss and Oliver Buchhofer, operational director of Swiss,” read a statement from the airline on Monday evening. “Out of respect for the loved ones,” the airline says it “will not provide detailed information on the cause of death and the victim.”
The young colleague who died was part of the cabin crew of SWISS flight LX1885. Since the emergency landing last Monday, he has been in intensive care at Graz hospital.
The second crew member, who had also been treated at Graz University Hospital, was able to leave the hospital in the meantime.
This flight, which connected Bucharest to Zurich on December 23, had to make an emergency landing in Graz due to the presence of smoke in the cockpit and cabin. On board, 74 passengers and five crew members.
On the ground, passengers were evacuated via emergency slides. After the incident, five crew members and twelve passengers received medical treatment, according to Swiss.
Negligent Bodily Injury Investigation
The open investigation procedure aims to clarify the causes of the accident, said a spokesperson for the Graz public prosecutor’s office. An expert must determine why the plane which took off from Bucharest released so much smoke that the flight had to be interrupted.
The investigation is currently into negligent bodily harm, said the spokesperson for the authorities.
Probable technical fault in the engine
No information has been given so far on the exact cause of the incident. According to initial findings, a technical defect in one of the engines is likely the cause of the incident, Swiss said. Aircraft and engine manufacturers have been informed, according to the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA).
In the past, the Airbus A220 aircraft type had several engine problems. During incidents, engine parts were thrown outwards due to a malfunction. These incidents notably led to temporary operational shutdowns, of which Swiss was also a victim.
