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Reduced awareness of risk, lack of self-criticism, careless rule violations – the Swiss Safety Investigation Board is hugely critical of the Ju-52 pilot, which crashed near Flims in August 2018.
The Ju-52 crash site under Piz Segna.
It was the worst plane crash in Switzerland in seventeen years: on August 4, 2018, a Ju-52 crashed southwest of Piz Segnas near Flims. All twenty people on board were killed and the aircraft was destroyed. Two years later there are new findings: neither a technical defect nor the weather should be responsible for the accident, but an inappropriate behavior of the pilots. This is reported by the “Sonntags-Zeitung”, citing an unpublished investigative report from the Swiss Security Investigation Board (Sust).
The pilots did not adhere to the minimum altitude and lost control of the aircraft through their own fault. The two pilots, aged 62 and 63, had previously completed several flights together. It is said that they were too risky on a regular basis. According to the “Sonntags-Zeitung”, the Sust report speaks of “risky misconduct”, “lack of self-criticism” and “reckless breaches of the rules”. Above all, the captain of the aircraft is said to have displayed a “reduced awareness of risk”.
Maneuvers “in stark contrast” to the knowledge of the pilots
The Ju-52, which was registered as HB-HOT, took off on August 4, 2018 at 4:14 pm from Locarno in the direction of Dübendorf. Approximately 40 minutes later, the aircraft flew in a northwesterly direction towards the Piz Segnas valley basin near Flims (GR). Towards the northern end of the valley basin, the aircraft began a left turn, which turned into a downward spiraling trajectory, as indicated in an interim Sust report on August 4, 2020. A few seconds later , the aircraft collided almost perpendicular to the ground.
According to the Sust findings, the pilots flew too deep into the valley basin, as the “Sonntags-Zeitung” writes. An inverse curve was no longer possible. The maneuver was “in stark contrast” to the knowledge of the two experienced pilots.
44 cell phones and cameras insured
Because the Ju-52 involved in the accident did not have recording equipment, the investigation team had to turn to other sources, including radar data, images and video, and eyewitness testimony. In addition, 44 mobile phones and passenger cameras were seized at the accident site. Most of the devices were badly damaged by the impact. Finally it was possible to read data from eight devices. Some of the recordings lasted until the last seconds before impact.
Previous Ju-Air flights were also taken into account in the investigation. To this end, Sust analyzed radar data from April to August 2018, as well as photos and movies of passengers. The company itself was also checked; Ju-Air is part of the Association of Friends of the Swiss Air Force.
Corrosion damage to debris
Immediately after the accident on August 4, 2018, the Ju-Air plane remained on the ground. Four days after the accident, the company announced that it would resume flight operations on August 17. The Federal Office of Civil Aviation (Bazl) saw no reason to restrict the operation of Ju-Air at the time.
On November 16, 2018, the Bazl finally revoked the airline’s two remaining Ju-52s with immediate effect. There is a risk that due to the same year of construction, the similar operating mode and the comparable operating times, there will be comparable defects. The background for the U-turn was an interim report from Sust. Federal safety experts found significant corrosion damage to various components of the aircraft. Furthermore, apparently two out of three engines had been fitted with new cam discs, which were defective.
On March 12, 2019, Bazl withdrew the airline’s license for commercial flights. Ju-Air could still offer passenger flights for its club members. That is still the case today. However, the company has suspended flight operations until at least spring 2021. By then, the entire fleet should be overhauled.
Investigation against the Federal Office of Civil Aviation
In connection with the accident, the Bazl is also being criticized. The office was apparently aware of several cases of misconduct at Ju-Air. The cases in which the Ju-Air plane flew too low should have been documented even before the momentous flight in August 2018. This had no consequences. The federal government has commissioned the Netherlands Aviation Institute to review the activities of the Bazl.
The Bazl does not comment on the content of the Sust report. However, upon request, Bazl’s communications chief Urs Holderegger confirmed that a total of around a dozen lawsuits had been filed against Ju-Air in recent years. It was mainly noise complaints.
The Sust sent the final report on the accident in Piz Segnas for consultation in early June. The statements of Bazl, Ju-Air and the families of the victims will be evaluated at the end of October. The final report should appear in late October or early November.
