No visual contact: Two airplanes collide near Ballwil LU
Published: Monday, Oct 7th 2024, 18:10
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The collision between two propeller-driven aircraft flying in formation north-east of Ballwil LU was due to inadequate coordination between the pilots and an unsuitable maneuver. The aircraft were able to make an emergency landing in Emmen LU after the accident, which occurred at an altitude of 1500 meters.
The accident happened on January 21, 2024. The pilots, who had already flown together several times in formation, took off from Raron VS and wanted to land in Birrfeld AG. There were a total of three passengers on board the two aircraft, who took photographs of the other aircraft, as the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (Sust) wrote in its summary report published on Monday.
The two pilots made it clear before take-off that they wanted to fly in loose formation from Andermatt UR. However, according to Sust, they did not discuss in detail how to proceed in the event of loss of visual contact.
So that sunset pictures could be taken of the aircraft ahead, the pilot informed his colleague over Ballwil that he would maneuver his aircraft behind and over him to the other side. In doing so, he lost visual contact but did not communicate this and a collision occurred.
The engine of one of the two aircraft then failed, but its pilot was able to glide to Emmen and land on a meadow near the military airfield. The other pilot managed to land on the runway. No one was injured.
In its investigations into the cause of the accident, Sust came to the conclusion that the two pilots had not coordinated their actions carefully enough in the run-up to the demanding joint flight. The chosen flight maneuver was also unsuitable because a brief loss of visual contact had to be accepted.
©Keystone/SDA
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