Military aircraft crashes during landing maneuvers at Emmen airfield
Published: Tuesday, Nov 28th 2023, 19:00
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A PC-21 military aircraft crashed on Tuesday during a landing maneuver at Emmen airfield in the canton of Lucerne. The pilot and the student pilot on board were able to free themselves using the ejection seat. One of the pilots was taken to hospital for a check-up.
After a training flight as part of the Air Force pilot school, two PC-21 training aircraft were on their way back to Emmen. On landing at around 2.45 p.m., the second aircraft left the runway for reasons that are still unclear, the army reported on Tuesday evening.
The two occupants of the training aircraft activated the ejection seats and were able to land with their parachutes, according to an army statement. The aircraft came to a damaged halt in the meadow next to the runway.
The Swiss Air Force has decided to suspend the national flight service with the PC-21 fleet for the time being until further details are known. The military justice system has launched an investigation into the incident.
PC-21 is used as a training aircraft
The aircraft involved in the accident is a PC-21 training aircraft from the Swiss manufacturer Pilatus. The two-seater aircraft has been in service with the army since 2008. A total of eight aircraft of this type have been procured. It is used for basic and advanced training for jet pilots as well as for air combat, blind flying and aerobatics training.
The propeller aircraft reaches a maximum speed of 685 kilometers per hour and can be used at an altitude of 25,000 feet or 7620 meters above sea level. The maximum range is 1333 kilometers.
The first six aircraft were procured for CHF 115 million as part of the 2006 armaments program and delivered from 2008. Two further PC-21s were procured as part of the 2010 armaments program to secure the supply of FA-18 pilots. Aircraft of this type are also in service in Australia, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, among others.
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